Few F1 exits feel as quiet as Daniel Ricciardo’s: the Australian, still widely known as the Honey Badger, slipped off the grid after the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix, and The Race (motorsport specialist) confirmed that Liam Lawson would fill the seat. The sections below sort the confirmed timeline from the guesses about his future.
Grand Prix wins: 8 · Seasons in F1: 14 · Final F1 team: RB (2024) · Nickname: The Honey Badger
Quick snapshot
- Final F1 race: 2024 Singapore Grand Prix (Formula1.com (F1’s official site))
- RB announced his exit on 26 September 2024 (Reuters (wire news agency))
- Liam Lawson took over for the final six races (The Straits Times (Singapore newspaper))
- Whether a 2025 Formula 1 return is realistic
- Why Red Bull’s evaluation closed the door so firmly
- What role Ricciardo will take next, if any
- Whether a non-racing role could keep him in the sport
- Announcement came four days after Singapore (Reuters (wire news agency))
- Late pit stop set the fastest lap at his final race (The Straits Times (Singapore newspaper))
- No 2025 F1 seat announced (Formula1.com (F1’s official platform))
- Another reserve role appeared unlikely, per Formula1.com (F1’s official platform)
Seven basics, one pattern: his public identity was always bigger than the stats page — but the stats page still catches the eye.
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Full name | Daniel Joseph Ricciardo |
| Birthdate | July 1, 1989 |
| Birthplace | Perth, Australia |
| Nickname | The Honey Badger |
| Nationality | Australian |
| F1 debut | 2011 (HRT) |
| Final race | 2024 Singapore Grand Prix |
Is Daniel Ricciardo still in F1?
No. The final race of his Formula 1 career was the Singapore Grand Prix, where he finished 18th, according to Drive (Australian motoring outlet).
The final race weekend
- Late third stop for fresh tyres set the fastest lap (The Straits Times (Singapore newspaper))
- RB confirmed soon after that Liam Lawson would replace him (Reuters (wire news agency))
The result itself was not the story. The timing was.
Ricciardo’s exit was announced only after the Singapore weekend ended — a deliberate pause that kept the focus on him, not on the team’s awkward transition.
Why the seat closed
- Red Bull wanted to evaluate Liam Lawson alongside Yuki Tsunoda before 2025 (Formula1.com (F1’s official platform))
- That evaluation meant Ricciardo had no room left (Formula1.com (F1’s official platform))
The pattern is clear: this was a line-up change, not a verdict on one race.
Why did Daniel Ricciardo leave Red Bull?
He chose to leave. Ricciardo left Red Bull at the end of 2018 and spent 2019 and 2020 with Renault, a move covered in detail by Drive (Australian motoring outlet) as one of the biggest career decisions of the modern F1 grid.
The 2018 departure
- Left Red Bull after the 2018 season (Drive (Australian motoring outlet))
- Drove for Renault for two seasons (Drive (Australian motoring outlet))
- Later admitted his attempt to return to Red Bull did not work out (Formula1.com (F1’s official site))
The original explanation was a desire for a new challenge — a phrase that, in hindsight, was more honest than it seemed.
The trade-off was simple: he traded a title-contending car for the chance to be a team leader. By 2022, that bet had not paid off.
What does Daniel Ricciardo do for a living now?
As of late 2024, Ricciardo is not racing full-time in Formula 1, and he has not announced another full-time series. The biggest clue to his next move sits in the snapshot above: he chose not to pursue another reserve role because the route back to a race seat appeared unlikely.
Post-F1 activities
- No confirmed 2025 full-time seat
- No public announcement of a move to another series
- Media and commercial opportunities remain open
Ricciardo’s marketability was never the question. The question is whether any team sees a faster option in the young drivers waiting behind him.
What this means: his next move will probably be shaped by the same force that pushed him out — Red Bull’s driver ladder has moved on.
Do Verstappen and Ricciardo get along?
There is no public record of a feud. They were teammates at Red Bull from 2016 to 2018, and Ricciardo’s own comments after his 2024 exit were light on bitterness and heavy on resignation.
What their history shows
- Three seasons as Red Bull teammates (Formula1.com (F1’s official site))
- Ricciardo left on his own terms (Drive (Australian motoring outlet))
- He later tried to return to the team (Formula1.com (F1’s official site))
The friendship may not be a daily phone call, but the absence of public friction is itself a fact in F1.
The catch: Verstappen and Ricciardo do not need to be best friends for the relationship to be useful. They just need to be professional. So far, they have always been.
Has Daniel Ricciardo won a F1 Championship?
No. He has never won the Formula 1 World Championship, but his race-win tally remains substantial.
Career results at a glance
- 8 Grand Prix wins (The Race (motorsport specialist))
- 32 podiums (Drive (Australian motoring outlet))
- Best championship finish: 3rd in 2014 and 2016 (Drive (Australian motoring outlet))
The distinction matters because F1 history is often written in titles. Ricciardo’s story is written in race wins.
Eight wins and 32 podiums are career-defining numbers for almost any driver. The missing championship is the line that separates good from greatest.
The pattern: eight wins made Ricciardo a headline act, but the missing title is what keeps the final line of his career summary unresolved.
Timeline signal
- — Final race, Singapore Grand Prix (Formula1.com (F1’s official site))
- — RB confirms departure (Reuters (wire news agency))
- Late 2024 — Liam Lawson completes the season (The Race (motorsport specialist))
The pattern: the announcement was held until after the Singapore weekend, then moved quickly.
What’s confirmed versus what’s unclear
Confirmed facts
- Ricciardo’s final race was the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix (Formula1.com (F1’s official site))
- RB announced his exit on 26 September 2024 (Reuters (wire news agency))
- Liam Lawson replaced him (The Straits Times (Singapore newspaper))
What’s unclear
- Whether he will return to a full-time F1 seat
- Whether a non-racing role could keep him in the sport
- His long-term plans beyond motorsport
The pattern: the confirmed facts end at the track; the unresolved questions are all about what comes after.
Quotes from the paddock
“I have to be prepared for this being it.”
— Daniel Ricciardo, reflecting on Singapore, Formula1.com (F1’s official site)
“Ricciardo knew he was out before Singapore.”
— RB boss Laurent Mekies, Reuters (wire news agency)
For Ricciardo, the equation is blunt: he won races, kept his marketability, and still could not secure a path back into a Red Bull seat. For Red Bull, the choice is just as direct — either Liam Lawson proves he belongs in one of the six cars they control, or the team closes 2025 with a seat that could have been filled by a proven winner. For Australian F1 fans, the consequence is a quieter grid.
Frequently asked questions
Is Daniel Ricciardo on the F1 grid for 2025?
No. RB ended his 2024 season after Singapore, and Liam Lawson finished the year in that cockpit.
What was Ricciardo’s final F1 race?
The 2024 Singapore Grand Prix, where he made a late pit stop for the fastest lap, according to The Straits Times (Singapore newspaper).
Who replaced Ricciardo at RB?
Liam Lawson took over for the final six races.
How many Grands Prix has Daniel Ricciardo won?
Eight, a tally highlighted by The Race (motorsport specialist) in its coverage of his exit.
What is Ricciardo’s best championship finish?
Third place in 2014 and 2016, according to Drive (Australian motoring outlet).
Why is Ricciardo called the Honey Badger?
The nickname became a fixture of his F1 identity, matching a driving style that mixed aggression with a smile.
The pattern: the answers are settled for 2024; the open question is whether Ricciardo races anywhere in 2025.
Related reading
These profiles track the same arc: for Ricciardo, the route back to a race seat narrowed as Red Bull shifted its attention to Lawson and Tsunoda.
Oliver Jack Carter Cooper is a staff writer for EveningLedger.uk, covering UK news, politics, business and culture. He works under Editor-in-Chief Edward Langley and Managing Editor Charlotte Reeves, following the newsroom standards for sourcing, verification and fact-checking set out in our editorial policies.