Ricciardo admits staying alongside Verstappen could have ‘obliterated’ him

The Australian has now hung up his helmet for almost two years, after being shown the door at the Singapore Grand Prix and bringing his F1 career to an end with a dismissal.

His downward spiral had already begun with his departure from Red Bull, although his early years at Renault were solid, followed by a two-year stint at McLaren that fell short of expectations.

But what might have happened had he stayed at Red Bull alongside Verstappen? Speaking to The Athletic, the eight-time F1 race winner said: “That’s one where I don’t know. I don’t know if that was the right decision. Certainly, there was a bit of emotion in that, but there were reasons I didn’t think it was going to work.

“There’s also a scenario where Max just obliterated me as the years went on and maybe my career ended even quicker. I don’t know. At the time, I was competitive with Max and we were pushing each other really well. It’s just hard. I’m sure, maybe I would have still won more races than I ended up winning. But I can’t deny that Max is Max.”

Ricciardo added that, at the time, there was a growing narrative suggesting he was walking away from the fight, but he never saw it that way. Instead, his concerns were centred on how things would evolve within the team, particularly in terms of the internal dynamic, rather than any reluctance to go head-to-head.

Speaking on the Drive podcast with Jim Farley, CEO of Ford, Daniel Ricciardo reflected on how his Formula 1 career came to an end. After being released by McLaren in 2022, Ricciardo entered 2023 without a seat and began to seriously question whether it was time to walk away from the sport altogether.

He ultimately managed to extend his time in Formula 1 by another season, but was later dropped again, marking his second exit from a team in as many years. That period took a significant toll on him, both mentally and emotionally, after investing so much of himself into his career.

Looking back, Ricciardo admitted he felt drained by the experience, but also recognised that having the decision taken out of his hands may have been for the best.