Two new F1 driver arrivals at centre of Daniel Ricciardo exit theory

Did Oliver Bearman and Franco Colapinto unknowingly play a role in the decision from Red Bull to drop Daniel Ricciardo from the VCARB line-up?

Former Red Bull driver Alex Albon suspects so, with super sub Bearman impressive in his Ferrari debut and again with Haas in Baku, while Albon’s new Williams team-mate Franco Colapinto has come in and turned heads as a mid-season replacement for Logan Sargeant.

Daniel Ricciardo tipped for NASCAR switch after F1 exit

Red Bull senior advisor Helmut Marko had revealed a desire from the shareholders to return VCARB to their junior team philosophy, with experience having been the chosen route by placing Ricciardo alongside Yuki Tsunoda for F1 2024.

However, Red Bull wielded the axe after Singapore with Liam Lawson – who marked his F1 arrival with a strong five-race stint in 2023 in place of the injured Ricciardo – now returning to the cockpit at Ricciardo’s expense for the final six rounds of F1 2024. Albon reckons the good work from Bearman and Colapinto contributed to the Red Bull rethink.

“It’s obviously tough. I really like Daniel. He’s a super, super person, a great ambassador for the sport as well,” Albon told the Brazilian arm of Motorsport.com .

“Obviously, the decision itself, can’t really speak about. I imagine in some ways, the fact that Ollie and Franco have done so well, it kind of motivates Red Bull to start rethinking about the youth. Liam did already a good job.

“But yeah, of course, I feel for Daniel. I think he’s a super driver as well, more than anything else, so I’m sure he’s going to find his feet and do something. I don’t know what it would be.”

Albon soon came up with his own answer, tipping Ricciardo to head across the pond, the Aussie enjoying a strong following in the United States as a key figure in Netflix’s hit F1 docuseries Drive to Survive.

“I could see him doing something like NASCAR,” said Albon.

“I just see him as someone who would… He enjoys his life, links with the US, so I could see something like that.”

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That is another point for NASCAR when it comes to predictions for what lays in Ricciardo’s future, with respected F1 commentator Alex Jacques making a similar prediction in revealing that Ricciardo is not short on offers outside of the F1 cockpit.

“I know he’s got offers aplenty already,” Jacques told ex-Red Bull driver David Coulthard during the Formula For Success podcast .

“I think the media work is going to be nailed on for him. I think he’ll be back in a Formula 1 paddock at some point.

“I suspect he’s not going to be able to resist a little bit of NASCAR. He’s a massive NASCAR fan. He really does appreciate it and and love that.

“And I think Netflix would love it if he went from Drive to Survive to… They had a series about NASCAR last year. They would love that transition I think for the viewing numbers, sort of like when you get a soap and you get a character come back from having been away for a couple of years, I think Daniel Ricciardo turning up…

“I’m not sure he’s going to do the ovals, but like, they race at Watkins Glen, they race on the streets of Chicago. I think that’s got Danny Ric’s name all over it. So I think he’ll give that a go.

“And then I think he’ll be in close proximity to you [Coulthard] when you’re doing your punditry. I think he’ll be back in the paddock very, very quickly.”

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has also made it “very clear” that they would like to continue their Ricciardo association via an ambassadorial role.

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