Author Archives: PressBox

Daniel Ricciardo said his exit from Formula 1 after the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix initially left him feeling “failure and humiliation,” and he said he hid feelings of humiliation, pain and sadness after Racing Bulls dropped him and replaced him with Liam Lawson. Ricciardo said the end of the career that began with HRT in 2011 was difficult to process, and he identified the Singapore Grand Prix on Sept. 22, 2024 as his final Formula 1 race.

Speaking on the F1 Beyond The Grid podcast, Ricciardo reflected on a career that included eight Grand Prix wins and 24 podium finishes. He said he now feels “extremely proud” of what he achieved and can look back with much more perspective, saying the change pushed him to find life outside Formula 1 and that he is at peace with his career.

Ricciardo also said he had thought about quitting during difficult stretches earlier in his career, including after Silverstone in 2015 and the 2022 Monaco Grand Prix. He said he chose to step away from racing rather than force another comeback, and would only consider returning for the right reasons instead of chasing a fairytale ending.

Oscar Piastri and McLaren are trying to stop a growing slide after the team went four consecutive rounds without a podium, its longest podiumless run since 2023, and slipped to fourth in the constructors’ standings. Piastri has gone 14 races without a podium, sits seventh in the championship with 144 points and has not won since the Dutch Grand Prix in August 2025.

McLaren introduced new parts during that four-race stretch, and Piastri said the upgrades are doing what the team expected even as rivals have moved ahead faster. At the United States Grand Prix, McLaren finished fifth and seventh, with Piastri seventh and Lando Norris fifth after Norris qualified eighth, briefly ran second on an alternative one-stop strategy and said the car was “the hardest he has ever driven in his life.” Norris said McLaren needs to improve qualifying and slow-speed corners after losing nearly three-tenths per lap in those sections in Austin.

Andrea Stella said only limited updates are expected in Mexico City, with more significant developments likely for Sao Paulo and Las Vegas. Martin Brundle said Piastri “can’t seem to gel with the 2026 cars,” and Piastri will work closely with McLaren engineers over the winter to adapt his smooth driving style to a harder-to-control car with reduced downforce and increased sliding. Guenther Steiner said Piastri should stay at McLaren, pointing to few openings at top teams and urging him to focus on beating Norris and finding his best form first.

Nikola Tsolov will make his Formula 1 race weekend debut for Racing Bulls in Free Practice 1 at the Mexico City Grand Prix, replacing Liam Lawson for the 60-minute session at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. The run will complete Racing Bulls’ required rookie practice sessions for the season as the team weighs its 2027 driver lineup, with Lawson, Arvid Lindblad and Tsolov all under consideration for the two seats.

The 19-year-old Bulgarian is second in the 2026 Formula 2 standings with two rounds remaining, after six wins and nine podiums this season. He completed his first test for Racing Bulls in Imola in August.

Tsolov said he wants to make the most of the session and learn more about the car and the current regulations. Racing Bulls team principal Alan Permane said the FP1 outing is an important step in Tsolov’s development in the Red Bull Junior Programme and will help both his progress and the team’s weekend preparation. Red Bull are split 50/50 on whether to keep Lawson or promote Tsolov into the Racing Bulls seat for 2027.