Daniel Ricciardo ‘lost his killer instinct’ and was ‘handed a second chance NO ONE else would have given him’, claims Helmut Marko, as Red Bull advisor responds to sacking criticism

Helmut Marko has defended Red Bull’s handling of Daniel Ricciardo’s departure from the Formula 1 team, insisting the Australian driver “lost his killer instinct” and was no longer as daring as he used to be on track.

Ricciardo was shown the door after the Singapore Grand Prix, with Red Bull advisor Marko believing the 35-year-old no longer showed the strength and guile he once showed during his racing career.

The West Australian initially left Red Bull in 2018, opting for a shock switch to Renault, before making the switch to McLaren four years later.

After a disappointing spell with the British racing team, Ricciardo’s contract was mutually terminated before he was offered an F1 lifeline at Red Bull Racing. The charismatic driver would return to his old team as a reserve driver before taking Nyck de Vries’ seat at AlphaTauri in 2023.

During his time with the Italian racing team, Ricciardo’s highest finish came at the 2023 Mexican Grand Prix, where he finished seventh.

Marko stated that the VCARB driver had ‘lost his killer instinct’ and that ‘no one but Red Bull would have given him a second chance’

However, it seems that Marko only saw two driving performances from Ricciardo that seemed worthy of this memory. The adviser insisted the Aussie was not the same driver who had once shown ‘uncompromising overtaking’ and ‘breaking at the last minute’ during his previous stint with the F1 team.

“Daniel Ricciardo’s departure was only announced after the race weekend in Singapore for compelling reasons related to commercial agreements,” Marko wrote in his column for SpeedWeek.

‘He was informed in a timely manner and – in his own words – is at peace with himself. I also think that the fastest race lap he set was a worthy farewell performance.

“He was given a second chance that no one else would have given him. ‘And this was done on the assumption that a return to Red Bull Racing is possible if his performance is up to standard. The Racing Bulls team was therefore always only intended as a stopover.’

Ricciardo’s best result during the 2024 season came in Canada, where he finished eighth in the field.

Earlier this season, Ricciardo had also finished fourth in the sprint race at the Miami Grand Prix. But his performances were not enough to impress the Red Bull chief.

‘The necessary performance only surfaced twice, once with a fourth place in the Miami sprint this year and last year in Mexico.

He added that Ricciardo had only impressed him twice since returning to Red Bull Racing in 2022

Ricciardo had had two mixed seasons with Red Bull’s sister team, with his highest finish being seventh at last year’s Mexican GP

Red Bull has initially signed 22-year-old driver Liam Lawson (photo) as a replacement for Ricciardo

“But other than that, the speed wasn’t there and the consistency wasn’t there either. The entire performance that would justify a promotion to Red Bull Racing was missing. But that was the point of the whole thing.

‘If we knew why the performance was not in order, we would have done everything we could to change that.

‘But [Ricciardo’s] the same killer instinct was simply no longer recognizable. He was known for his uncompromising overtaking maneuvers and braking at the last point. But that was no longer the case either.’

The eight-time F1 race winner was replaced for the remainder of the F1 season by 22-year-old New Zealander Liam Lawson.

‘I have loved this sport all my life. It was wild and beautiful and it was a journey,” Ricciardo, who worked at the premier racing circuit for 14 years, said in an emotional post on Instagram.

‘Thank you to the teams and individuals who contributed. To the fans who sometimes love the sport more than I do, haha, thank you. It will always have its highs and lows, but it was fun and honestly, I wouldn’t change it.

‘Until the next adventure.’

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner has now sent a warning to Sergio Perez, detailing that Marko already wanted Ricciardo to be dropped during the Spanish Grand Prix in June.

Ricciardo was close to tears after what may have been his last race in the sport

Christian Horner (left) stated that Marko (right) wanted Ricciardo gone after the Spanish GP

According to The timesHorner said: “I think it was the lack of consistency.

“Miami [in early May] was a weekend of two halves. Friday and Saturday mornings were fantastic and it was like the Daniel of old, battling Ferraris and outsmarting the car. Then Saturday afternoon and Sunday were disastrous.

‘Even around Barcelona, ​​Helmut [Marko, Red Bull’s motorsport advisor] wanted him out of the car, and there was already a lot of pressure on him.’