'I did not see it coming': Daniel Ricciardo's 'peculiar' final act sets tongues wagging

When Daniel Ricciardo pitted late in the Singapore Grand Prix for a new set of tyres — essentially throwing what could be his last race — he got the Formula 1 world talking.

After stopping for a third time for a fresh set of soft tyres with just two laps remaining, Ricciardo set the fastest lap of the Marina Bay circuit to pinch the honour from title contender Lando Norris.

While in most situations it would be expected for a driver to target the fastest lap on a race weekend, it appears Ricciardo did this not for himself but to help out an old friend.

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A championship point is typically awarded to the driver who completes the fastest lap of a grand prix.

However, as the West Australian finished in 18th place — last on track — and outside the top 10, the point will not be credited to him in the standings.

The point will still impact the world championship though.

With Norris denied the point, defending champion Max Verstappen can now finish second in every remaining grand prix and sprint race and abort the extra point for the fastest lap and still win the drivers' title from the McLaren driver.

While this could have been a pre-arranged strategy between Red Bull and sister team RB or simply a silver lining for Ricciardo in what is expected to be the last race of his F1 career, it has raised more than a few eyebrows.

RB's line on the matter suggested the latter.

"Given this may have been Daniel's last race, we wanted to give him the chance to savour it and go out with the fastest lap," team principal Laurent Mekies said in a statement post-race.

But Ricciardo knew what he was doing — repeatedly telling media afterwards that the steal should earn him a bonus from Red Bull.

"The last few laps, [my race engineer] Pierre [Hamelin] asked if we should go for the fastest lap. I thought, Why not?'," he told Sky Sports F1.

"I don't mean this against Lando, but part of me is hoping Max wins by one point because I think I guaranteed myself a nice Christmas present, if so."

Verstappen and Norris are both former teammates of Ricciardo's.

Claims of an alliance have reignited debate around the customer relationship between Red Bull and RB.

Red Bull Racing has owned the skeleton of the RB team since the end of 2005, historically using it as a junior team to develop younger drivers.

McLaren CEO Zak Brown has been particularly vocal on the issue, previously claiming F1's current rules concerning teamwork — especially when it includes common ownership — "aren't fit for purpose" under the sport's advanced cost cap.

Speaking post-race, McLaren team principal Andrea Stella said the team had no evidence of strategy splitting between RB and Red Bull but their working relationship was a "longer-term" issue that "needs to be addressed".

"I don't know the facts, I just saw that Racing Bulls went for the fastest lap and they achieved it. ... We have to take it at face value that they scored the fastest lap," he said.

"At no point do I have elements now to say RB went for the fastest lap to support Red Bull, I just find it a little peculiar.

"I did not see it coming. I was a little surprised that the highest priority of RB's racing in Singapore was to go and score the fastest lap of the race.

"At the same time, I have so much sympathy, support and friendship with Daniel that I'm just happy that he may add this fastest lap to his track record.

"Potentially, as part of a longer-term conversation, we need to put the sport in a position in which at any stage, being it trackside or being it factory side, teams behave in a totally autonomous manner.

"This is a constructors' championship, a drivers' championship, it's not a coalition championship."

Alongside F1's next overhaul of its regulations, which will come into effect for the 2026 season, several squads have called for working relationships between teams to be banned.

Verstappen's lead on Norris in the drivers' standings is down to 51 points with six grands prix and two sprint races remaining.