DANIEL RICCIARDO choked up in tears and struggled to speak after finishing last in the Singapore Grand Prix – as it could be his F1 swansong.
Red Bull are tipped to replace him next time out in the US on October 21.
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Ricciardo delayed getting out of his car following Sunday’s race – won by McLaren’s Lando Norris.
And he explained afterwards a “flood of emotions” rarely seen before in his 13 years in F1, including eight wins from 2011-2021.
Mixing long pauses with rueful smiles, Ricciardo made no attempt to hide the fact he might never again race at this level.
Looking overcome, he said: “There’s a lot of emotions because I’m aware it could be it.
“I think it’s also just exhaustion after the race.
“Just like a flood of many emotions and feelings and exhaustion.”
Ricciardo was equally emotional about the way he had lingered in his car after a disappointing performance at Marina Bay.
He added: “The cockpit is something that I got very, very used to for many years and I just wanted to savour the moment.”
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Ricciardo’s gamble of starting on soft tyres – in the forlorn hope the safety car would be called out – backfired.
In fact, Red Bull even asked him to let team-mate Yuki Tsunoda pass.
The Japanese ace came 12th, with Ricciardo bottom of the 18 finishers.
The Perth driver said: “It was a tough race. I think ultimately we just weren’t quite quick enough.”
Overall, Tsunoda sits 12th on 22 points, with Ricciardo joint 13th on 12.
However, fans rushed to praise him – as a person and as a competitor.
One wrote: “I feel sad for Danny Ric. Lovely guy. I will miss him. The sport will miss him.”
Another posted: “Thank you Daniel for showing up every weekend with a smile on your face
A third added: “This is really really really emotional… guy was pure magic, hated to see him lose all of that, but man this sport reminds you so often that ‘it is what it is’.”
Other verdicts included “Amazing to watch” and “Deserves a proper farewell WTF”.
Meanwhile, Norris’ impressive victory further cut Max Verstappen‘s Championship lead to 52 points – with seven GPs remaining.
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