'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAHAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFgABAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQG/8QAFQEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQP/2gAMAwEAAhADEAAAAMVCNP/EACAQAAEEAQQDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIBAwQRBQAGEjITJHH/2gAIAQEAAT8AdlymsPh9yO5N6RJZNWGhcZT12h4jwbK7TtdVWj3jkBJR85FS9iS1X6uv/8QAGREAAgMBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQMAAgQR/9oACAECAQE/AMaqBfAJ/8QAFREBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH/2gAIAQMBAT8Aj//Z'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Former F1 team boss Guenther Steiner issued a brutal verdict regarding Daniel Ricciardo getting axed from RB, saying that this was just the ruthless nature of F1. Red Bull brought the Australian back from the sidelines after an impressive tire test performance, where his lap times were competitive compared to what Max Verstappen had done during the race weekend.
Daniel Ricciardo was placed at RB this season to see how he would perform alongside Yuki Tsunoda. If his performances were up to the mark, Red Bull would have considered the Australian one of the primary options if Sergio Perez was not up to the mark.
18 races into the season, however, Red Bull decided that the Daniel Ricciardo experiment had not worked. Ricciardo couldn't put together a compelling enough case where he beat Yuki Tsunoda consistently and performed at a high enough level to get the promotion.
Talking about Daniel Ricciardo's departure in his column on F1.com on October 4, Steiner said that the loss of the Australian would be a disappointment, but added that one has to 'perform to survive' in the sport. Steiner said,
"There’s no point putting him through this pain to prove something when you have already previously proved to the world that you can win races. He didn’t win those races by accident. He fought hard for every one of them. Ricciardo will be a loss because a lot of people got to know him, especially through Netflix’s Drive to Survive. He brought a lot of new fans to Formula 1."
He added,
"He is a big character and a nice guy as well. Everyone got on with him. But this is Formula 1 – and this is how it is. There are only 20 spaces on the grid. You have to perform to survive."
Daniel Ricciardo 'came back too early', according to Steiner
Guenther Steiner also felt that Daniel Ricciardo returned to the sport 'too early' and discussed how the Australian was mentally affected after his stint at McLaren. Despite wanting to emulate what Fernando Alonso and Nico Hulkenberg had done after their breaks in F1, Steiner claimed that Ricciardo's return didn't pan out as expected.
"Maybe he came back too early, expecting he can come back like Fernando Alonso did, like Kevin Magnussen did, like Nico Hulkenberg did and it’ll all work out but it didn’t. It’s easier to say than to do but a guy like him should be saying, ‘I won eight races in Formula 1, I had my time there – now it’s time for the next chapter’."
Daniel Ricciardo's future in F1 still seems murky at best right now. The driver is not in demand right now, and while Red Bull has offered an ambassadorship role, what he does next remains to be seen.
