Daniel Ricciardo won’t be in the Formula 1 paddock this season. It’s the first time he’s been absent since the start of 2011.
Ricciardo made his debut with HRT midway through that year before securing a full-time drive at Toro Rosso (now Racing Bulls). He then earned a promotion to Red Bull following Mark Webber’s retirement.
The ‘Honey Badger’ won seven Grands Prix for Christian Horner’s squad, but he made a shock exit at the end of the 2018 season. While he was impressive at Renault, the team didn’t live up to his expectations.
His career started to unravel when he joined McLaren in 2021. He led a one-two at the Australian Grand Prix, but his performances were so underwhelming that Zak Brown paid £24m to cancel Ricciardo’s contract.
After dropping off the grid, Ricciardo remained active as the reserve driver for Red Bull. That opened the door for a seat at the junior team when Nyck de Vries struggled.
The veteran spied a route back to Milton Keynes, but he couldn’t recapture his best form. He suffered the ignominy of losing his drive with six races to go as Red Bull shifted focus to Liam Lawson.
David Croft is worried that Yuki Tsunoda is entering ‘the Daniel Ricciardo realm at Racing Bulls’
Speaking on the second day of F1 testing, Sky Sports commentator David Croft expressed his concern for Yuki Tsunoda. The Japanese driver missed out on the vacant seat alongside Max Verstappen following Sergio Perez’s exit.
The seat went to Lawson, even though he only has 11 races of experience. After a damning snub, it now seems unlikely that Tsunoda will ever be promoted.
Already the longest-serving driver for Red Bull’s sister outfit, he’s now entering a fifth season at Faenza. Croft fears he’s now ‘too experienced’ to justify his place – Helmut Marko typically uses the team to evaluate young talent.
Tsunoda is a Honda driver, but the manufacturer’s partnership with Red Bull will come to an end this December, just as his contract expires. They’ll supply Aston Martin from 2026.
Croft said of Tsunoda: “He starts to go into the Daniel Ricciardo realm of ‘you’re too experienced to be in Racing Bulls as a junior team, and you need to go elsewhere, but you’re not getting promoted to the Red Bull team and there’s no space for you on that’.
“Logically, with Honda’s association with Aston Martin, there’s probably a reserve driver role for him there.”
Karun Chandhok explains why he feels ‘nervous’ about Yuki Tsunoda
Croft was joined in the commentary box by Karun Chandhok, who also has doubts about Tsunoda’s future. Aston Martin already have Felipe Drugovich and Stoffel Vandoorne in their reserve roster.
Crucially, he’s out of sync with the F1 driver market. Tsunoda is one of few drivers out of contract after last season’s reshuffle.
Chandhok said: “At the end of this year, what happens with him as Honda walks away from that Red Bull family? I’m concerned that Yuki could end up with nothing. I feel a bit nervous for Yuki in terms of where he might end up for 2026.
Marko is already planning to sign Arvid Lindblad in 2026. The teenager must deliver in Formula 2, of course, but it seems Red Bull are looking to a future without Tsunoda.
