Yuki Tsunoda has revealed he had an “emotional” conversation with Daniel Ricciardo following his exit from the RB team. Shortly after the Singapore Grand Prix, RB confirmed Ricciardo had departed the squad with Liam Lawson replacing him for the remainder of the campaign. Ricciardo had been partnered with Tsunoda for over a year, having stepped into the Red Bull sister squad midway through the 2023 season. However, the Australian largely struggled for performance at the team, leading to his eventual early exit ahead of the final handful of rounds in 2024. Having partnered several drivers during his F1 career, Tsunoda revealed he learned the most from veteran Ricciardo. “We spoke after the race in Singapore, we said thank you and appreciate each other and I was a bit emotional, to be honest,” Tsunoda told media including RacingNews365 . “He’s been a very good teammate and I think the driver I learn most [from] out of any drivers. “It is what it is. I saw a couple of his social media posts and he seems like he’s enjoying the time off a little bit.”
Tsunoda unfazed by Lawson F1 challenge
Ricciardo's exit from F1, coupled with Sergio Perez's struggling form at Red Bull, has fuelled speculation that Tsunoda or Lawson could replace the Mexican. Tsunoda asserted he is looking to ensure he out-performs Lawson while highlighting the primary goal of achieving the highest championship position possible for RB. "I'm sure it will increase the mentality of trying to not get beaten, but I guess that's natural," Tsunoda said. "Maybe slightly a bit more spice on top of it than usual, but I think it was similar to last year as well. I know that those things are just floating around anyway. "But at least on my side, I just focus on what I have to do, and obviously Liam will do a good job as well. "I'll make sure I'll be ahead of him, and hopefully we can achieve P6 in the team championship. That's the main goal.”
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