Racing Bulls regret at handling of Ricciardo exit

Racing Bulls team principal Laurent Mekies has revealed regret at the manner in which Daniel Ricciardo's exit was handled in 2024.

Speculation was rife prior to the Singapore Grand Prix that Ricciardo was set to be axed in favour of Liam Lawson, but heading into the Marina Bay weekend, no official news was communicated.

Throughout media duties on Thursday, Ricciardo cut a forlorn figure, and appeared emotional after the race, being on the verge of tears. 

His exit was announced in the days after the race, with Lawson drafted in to partner Yuki Tsunoda for the remainder of the season.

Reflecting on the manner of Ricciardo's exit, Mekies detailed how Ricciardo was aware of his fate before the weekend, and in hindsight, the team would have looked to act differently.

"It was frustrating, and it was not ideal to go through the weekend in that way, first of all for him, on a professional and on a personal level, and for the whole team around him," Mekies told media including RacingNews365. 

"Daniel was aware, we did have discussions before the weekend, and for many different reasons, we chose together to go into that weekend without announcing. 

"From that point onwards, we had to deal with it. It's a decision that, in hindsight, we may or may not do differently, but it's something that we were, both the team and the drivers, were on board to go through.

"I think in one way or another, we all found a way to express how much love there is from the sport to Daniel, from the fans to Daniel. 

"But I can hopefully say that the amount of love and empathy we felt through that weekend was something outstanding and something that shows that he's bigger than an F1 driver, he's bigger than F1."