Helmut Marko doubles down on brutal Daniel Ricciardo 'killer instinct' swipe
Red Bull supremo Helmut Marko has doubled down on his classless swipe at Daniel Ricciardo.
Confirmation of Ricciardo's axing from RB came last Friday. Helmut said it boiled down to the 35-year-old Aussie having "lost his killer instinct".
The claim angered fans, with many pointing out the obvious limitations of the RB car, which would have had a big impact on his confidence in its capabilities.
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In his regular column for German website Speedweek, Marko not only repeated the comments, but seemed to confirm another theory about why the team didn't give Ricciardo the dignity of publicly announcing the Singapore Grand Prix would be his last beforehand.
Helmut Marko has doubled down on a stinging takedown of Daniel Ricciardo. Getty
RB competed in a special one-off denim-look livery for Hugo Boss. There was speculation the clothing brand would've backed out of the deal if news Ricciardo, the most marketable driver in F1, would be axed.
His replacement, Liam Lawson, told New Zealand radio last Friday morning he'd known he was going to be in Ricciardo's seat from Austin for a fortnight before it was announced.
"Daniel Ricciardo's departure was announced after the Singapore race weekend for compelling reasons related to commercial agreements," Marko wrote.
"He himself was informed in good time and - to use his own words - he is at peace with himself. I also think that the fastest lap he set was a fitting farewell performance."
The RB team were running a one-off denim-look livery for sponsor Hugo Boss in Singapore. Getty
Marko also suggested Ricciardo should be thankful he was even given a second chance, because "no one else would have".
"And that (second chance) was under the premise that a return to Red Bull Racing was possible if he performed well enough. The Racing Bulls team was always intended as a stopover.
"But the necessary performance only came twice, once with a fourth place in the sprint in Miami this year and last year in Mexico (7th – the team's best result of the season).
"But otherwise the speed was not there, and the consistency was not there either. The performance that would have justified a promotion to Red Bull Racing was missing. But that was the whole point of the whole thing.
Ricciardo getting out of the car for the final time in Singapore. Getty
"If we knew why the performance wasn't as good as it should be, we would have done everything we could to change it. But the same killer instinct was no longer there.
"He was famous for his uncompromising overtaking, braking at the last point. But that was no longer the case either."
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has teased Ricciardo could yet still be offered a drive alongside Max Verstappen next season, if neither Lawson nor Sergio Perez can "get the job done".
Lawson will have six races to prove his worth, having spent five races deputising for Ricciardo after he broke his hand last season.
"(Lawson) must deliver a performance worthy of Formula 1, as he has done in his previous GP appearances," Marko wrote.
Red Bull has also offered Ricciardo an ambassadorial role with the brand. He has already indicated he has no desire to return to Red Bull as a reserve driver, a role he held at the start of the 2023 season.
Supercars chief executive Shane Howard has also confirmed representatives from the category would get in touch with Ricciardo's management "at an appropriate time".
The category will compete on a new street track in Ricciardo's home down of Perth from 2026.
