Ricciardo reflects on F1 exit after Racing Bulls replacement
NXTbets Pro | Published On: October 28, 2026
Ricciardo’s exit
Racing Bulls replaced Daniel Ricciardo with Liam Lawson after the Singapore Grand Prix, and the move forced Ricciardo to confront the end of his Formula 1 run. He said the first reaction hit hard. What followed, he said on the F1 “Beyond The Grid” podcast, felt like “failure and humiliation.” Ricciardo said he kept those feelings to himself at first, carrying pain and sadness after the team moved on from him. The exit closed the book on a career that had stretched across more than a decade. He did not dress up the moment or try to make it sound easier than it was. He said the end of the road left him struggling with how to process what had happened, and that the hardest part was accepting that his Formula 1 journey was over. He also made clear that the Singapore Grand Prix was his final race in the series, the point where he stepped away from the cockpit and into whatever came next.
Ricciardo’s career
Ricciardo’s Formula 1 career began with HRT and grew over time. Across that span, he won eight Grand Prix races and finished on the podium 24 times. Those numbers now sit alongside a more personal reflection from the Australian driver, who said he can look back on the career with a much broader view than he could when the exit was still fresh. He said he now feels “extremely proud” of what he accomplished. That change in perspective matters because Ricciardo said the end of his time in Formula 1 once felt overwhelming. He had to work through the shock of losing his seat and the emotional weight that came with it. Over time, though, he said the full picture came into focus. Instead of seeing only the loss, he now sees the full arc of a career that carried him from his first opportunity with HRT to race wins and podiums. The career did not end the way he might have imagined, but Ricciardo made clear that he now views the body of work itself with pride.
Ricciardo’s future
Ricciardo said the change eventually pushed him to build a life outside Formula 1, and that shift gave him room to process the end of his driving career. He said he chose to step away rather than chase another comeback for its own sake. That view fits with the way he described earlier chapters of his career, when he had considered quitting during difficult stretches after Silverstone and the Monaco Grand Prix. Those moments showed that his future in the sport was never simple, even before the final exit arrived. Ricciardo said he is at peace with where things stand now, and that peace comes from deciding not to force a fairytale ending. He left the door open only in a narrow way, saying he would consider a comeback for the right reasons and not just to return for the storybook finish some fans might have wanted. For Ricciardo, the important part is no longer chasing what could have been. It is accepting what was, understanding the pressure he carried and recognizing that his Formula 1 story already holds enough to stand on its own.
