Former Haas F1 team principal Guenther Steiner has weighed in on Daniel Ricciardo’s post-Renault decline following the Australian driver’s recent departure from Visa Cash App RB.
Ricciardo’s F1 career appears to have concluded after being dropped by RB following the Singapore Grand Prix. A hugely popular figure both in the paddock and among fans, the 35-year-old waved goodbye to the sport with an underwhelming 18th-place finish and the fastest lap on the Marina Bay Street Circuit.
This was hardly the goodbye many would have wanted for Ricciardo, whose global appeal was only heightened by his unique sense of humor and much-loved appearances on Netflix’s “Drive To Survive.” And it appears Steiner was among those left disappointed by Ricciardo’s far-from-fairytale ending.
“I think Danny, when you see him on TV, how he talks, his demeanor, you can see where he is at. It’s so open, he cannot fake it in my opinion,” Steiner told the Pitstop podcast.
A prime example of this ‘openness’ came while speaking with Sky Sports following qualifying in Singapore during which a clearly downbeat Ricciardo rued his performance – having qualified 16th – saying, “Every soft I used today I was not competitive at all.”
“I was like, ‘I don’t want to see this,’” Steiner commented seemingly in reference to the interview.
“It’s like, ‘Dude, just leave it, but do not do that to yourself.’ Because he was like a broken man. And it’s quite sad to see because he doesn’t deserve that in my opinion.”
But as it would turn out, Ricciardo’s post-race interview proved an even tougher watch for his fans.
Having taken a moment after the race to remain in the seat of his VCARB01, a clearly emotional Ricciardo told F1 of the moment, “The cockpit is something that I got very used to for many years…and yeah, just wanted to savor the moment.”
After a stint with HRT in 2011, Ricciardo’s F1 career truly got off the ground the following year with Scuderia Toro Rosso, where his 13 top 10 finished over the next two seasons proved enough to convince Red Bull he was deserving of replacing fellow Aussie Mark Webber alongside Sebastien Vettel.
Over the next five seasons, Ricciardo finished third in the drivers standings twice, totaling seven wins and reaching the podium 29 times. A move to Renault followed where he took on the role of their lead driver alongside Niko Hulkenberg.
Two years and just two third-place finishes later, Ricciardo was on the move again, this time taking Carlos Sainz’s seat at McLaren alongside young superstar Lando Norris. This proved a disastrous move for Ricciardo who was largely overshadowed by Norris between 2021-22 — although he did record his eighth and final F1 win with the team in 2021 at Monza.
“Why he failed at McLaren I don’t really understand because he won eight races, he knows that he can do it, you don’t win F1 races if you’re mediocre so you need to be good,” Steiner said.
“When he was at Renault he was good, there was no issue there. And then at McLaren, he just couldn’t get it together.”
Dropped by McLaren in favor of Oscar Piastri in 2022, Ricciardo took on a reserve role with Red Bull in 2023 before eventually replacing Nyck De Vries mid-season at RB. But it turned out a comeback for the ages simply wasn’t on the cards for Ricciardo who languished towards the back of the grid for much of his time with RB — barring the odd trip into the back half of the top 10.
“At Visa Cash App, he had some little highs and then some lows, and there was no consistency anymore and I think mentally he couldn’t get over what happened at McLaren,” Steiner suggested.
Exactly what lies ahead for Ricciardo remains unclear, although it seems his time in F1 is likely over — something the Aussie seems to have come to terms with.
In a recent Instagram post from his friend and ex-motocross star Adam Cianciarulo, Ricciardo could be seen wearing a cap that read, “I’m retired. Having a good time is my job.”
