RB imply Daniel Ricciardo won't return with fastest lap explanation

RB have implied that Daniel Ricciardo may have driven his last F1 race for the team at the Singapore Grand Prix.

The Australian is expected to be replaced at Red Bull’s sister team before the next race in Austin by reserve driver Liam Lawson.

RB pitted Ricciardo, who finished 18th and last, for fresh softs near the end so he could set the fastest lap, an action which appears to have been a final hurrah for the 35-year-old in F1.

The fastest lap critically took a point away from Lando Norris and McLaren, aiding Max Verstappen and Red Bull's title bids. 

RB team principal Laurent Mekies admitted in the team’s post-race press release that Singapore “may have been Daniel’s last race”.

“Starting from further back, we really needed a Safety Car opportunity for Daniel to get back into the fight for points,” Mekies said.

“Dan was on an aggressive strategy starting on Softs and has put in some very good laps through the race, but had effectively no chance to get back into the good positions from so far back. He never gave up and fought all race long.

“Given this may have been Daniel’s last race, we wanted to give him the chance to savour it and go out with the fastest lap.”

Ricciardo’s future will ultimately be decided by Red Bull’s top management, including team principal Christian Horner and motorsport advisor Helmut Marko.

Following the race in Singapore, Ricciardo appeared resigned to his F1 career being over.

Asked on whether Singapore may have been his last grand prix, Ricciardo said: “Possibly, I have to acknowledge that.

“It’s been a little bit of a race-by-race situation and I would have obviously loved the weekend to have gone better. It didn’t, so I have to prepared for this maybe being it.

“I do feel, let’s say, at peace with it. At some point, it’ll come for all of us… I think also, I tried to get back into Red Bull, it didn’t work out, so then I also have to say, ‘Okay, what else am I ultimately doing here and trying to achieve?’... Let’s say maybe the fairytale ending didn’t happen, but I also have to look back on what it’s been. Fourteen or so years and I’m proud.

“I think when you’ve experienced the highs of winning, you can only fight for P10 for so long. There is nothing like that feeling, and if that no longer is possible, and if it is becoming a little harder – that’s the truth: I was able to do some moments of maybe greatness this year, but it was trickier to do it week in, week out. Maybe that’s [being] 35, maybe that’s the competition’s getting better and better. Who knows?”