F1 Grand Prix of Italy - Practice - Image Source: Getty
Visa Cash App Racing Bulls team principal Laurent Mekies took responsibility for failing to revive Daniel Ricciardo's F1 career during his stint with the team in 2023 and 2024. The Australian driver struggled to match the expectations and was eventually replaced by Liam Lawson after the Singapore Grand Prix this year.
Ricciardo, who began his F1 career with Red Bull as a junior driver, witnessed a steep decline in his professional career after he switched teams in 2019. His stints with Renault and McLaren didn't pan out as preset expectations, forcing the Australian to return to RBR as a reserve driver in 2023.
He replaced Nyck de Vries in the sister team Racing Bulls (known as Alpha Tauri that season). However, a wrist injury forced him out for a few weeks. The 35-year-old continued as a VCARB driver in 2024, but he often finished behind teammate Yuki Tsunoda in the qualifying rounds.
