Daniel Ricciardo ‘immediate ejection’ fear after Mercedes brake duct stunt unearthed

Daniel Ricciardo lost his Red Bull VCARB seat last week, prompting Christian Horner to recall a very cheeky camera stunt he performed in the Mercedes garage.

VCARB announced last week that Ricciardo has parted ways with the team, with Liam Lawson stepping up to partner Yuki Tsunoda for the final six races of the F1 2024 season, starting at this month’s United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas.

Christian Horner recalls Daniel Ricciardo’s Mercedes camera stunt

It came after Ricciardo appeared to contest his last F1 race at the Singapore Grand Prix, where the 35-year-old was treated to a guard of honour in the paddock.

Ricciardo stands as one of the most prominent F1 drivers of the last decade, having collected eight F1 victories and built a loyal fanbase as a result of his light-hearted personality.

Appearing on the F1 Nation podcast, Horner recalled a moment during a rain delay at the 2017 Italian Grand Prix at Monza when Ricciardo took a television camera and entered the Mercedes garage, zooming in on the exposed brake ducts of the title-winning W07 before a cameraman intervened.

Ricciardo then filmed a group of amused Mercedes mechanics before exchanging a thumbs up.

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Horner, who is known to have a close relationship with Ricciardo, admitted to being “surprised” that Wolff himself did not “eject him immediately” as a rival driver explored the Mercedes garage.

Reflecting on Ricciardo’s off-track antics, he said: “He loved what he was doing and he felt very honored to be a grand prix driver.

“Just some of the silly stuff that he’d get up to, whether it was taking a camera off one of the F1 cameramen and walking into the Mercedes garage – unheard of!

“I’m surprised Toto didn’t eject him immediately as he was zooming in on their brake ducts and all the things that we were interested in.

“He’s a good singer, he’s a good musician and he’s never shy to have a go.”

Horner went on to suggest that Max Verstappen, the reigning three-time World Champion, has benefited from the time he spent as Ricciardo’s team-mate between 2016 and 2018.

He explained: “I think, actually, Max learned a huge amount from him because when Max came into the team, Max was very much the youngster, the young pup, and I think he was a great influence on Max in learning not to take life too seriously and enjoy the moment.”

PlanetF1.com revealed last week that Ricciardo has been offered the chance to maintain his ties to Red Bull with an ambassador-style role, but is yet to come to a decision.

Horner has confirmed the offer to Ricciardo, with Red Bull making it “very clear” that they want him to remain involved in some capacity.

And he indicated that Ricciardo could yet be considered for an astonishing F1 comeback if Lawson and Sergio Perez, Verstappen’s current team-mate, don’t “get the job done.”

Asked how much F1 will miss Ricciardo, Horner replied: “Hugely.

“Daniel is just a brilliant character. He’s a brilliant human being. He lights up a room when he walks into it, he’s got that infectious smile.

“We never did manage to do a toothpaste deal with him! We tried very hard.

“But I hope he stays around the sport and we’ve made it very clear that we want him to remain in an ambassadorial capacity with the team.

“And of course, one never really knows. If Liam doesn’t get the job done, if Checo doesn’t get the job done, we know what Daniel’s capability is.

“But I think for him, he knows, at the age that he’s at, he’s had a great career, so many memories.

“The most disgusting thing ever was drinking champagne out of his sweaty boot, but he made it his own and he got some incredible people to drink the champagne from his sweaty shoe.”

Horner’s comments come after Red Bull adviser Helmut Marko outlined the team’s hopes of tying Ricciardo to an ambassador role, with the company keen to capitalise on his popularity in the United States.

However, Marko doubted whether Ricciardo would accept the position with the 81-year-old expecting him to hang up his helmet having lost his F1 seat.

Asked if Ricciardo could move to a different series after exiting F1, Marko said: “I don’t think so.

“And if he no longer drives actively, does he even want these PR activities?”

Speaking in the immediate aftermath of the Singapore Grand Prix, Ricciardo ruled out returning to a Red Bull reserve role, having briefly held the position following his departure from McLaren at the end of 2022.

And he conceded that he can no longer keep up with the emerging breed of F1 drivers, with advances in technology – including the rise of driver-in-the-loop simulators – making it easier for young drivers to adapt to F1.

He said: “Obviously, last year [a reserve role] made a lot of sense to keep one foot in the door and obviously the big picture was to try and get back at Red Bull.

“I think if I was to do that again, there’s not really [much point]. I’m not going to restart my career.

“I’m also 35 and I still showed the pace that I’ve had over the years, but it’s obviously been evident that it’s been harder for me to show it every weekend.

“And maybe that is a little bit of an age thing. I think it definitely came easier for me when I was 25 as opposed to 35, but also maybe the competition is just increasing.

“I think that’s probably a common thing with all sports: simulators are getting better, the kids are getting younger, so naturally they’re [more prepared].

“And they have access to all the onboards now, so they can watch and study everyone.

“So maybe it’s just that the level’s increased and it’s probably a tall task for me to fight at that level week in, week out.

“I can’t be disappointed with that. I’m happy that, once upon a time, I could do it and that was a lot of fun.

“And if this is it, I want to make sure I walk away or leave the sport with good memories of it and it doesn’t get into that place where it’s just a grind and I’m out in Q1 every weekend.

“That’s obviously not fun.”

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