{"id":582020,"date":"2026-04-03T03:13:11","date_gmt":"2026-04-03T03:13:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/582020\/"},"modified":"2026-04-03T03:13:11","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T03:13:11","slug":"daniel-ricciardo-clears-air-on-end-of-formula-1-career-and-fading-form-i-lost-a-little-something","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/582020\/","title":{"rendered":"Daniel Ricciardo clears air on end of Formula 1 career and fading form: \u2018I lost a little something\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Former Formula 1<\/a> driver Daniel Ricciardo has opened up on the emotional toll of the sport and his demise in a brutally raw interview.<\/p>\n

Speaking on the DRIVE with Jim Farley podcast, Ricciardo also cleared the air on what happened at the end of his time with Racing Bulls, the sister team of Red Bull.<\/p>\n

With six races remaining in the 2024 season, the much-loved Aussie driver and Racing Bulls parted ways after the Singapore Grand Prix.<\/p>\n

Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today Arrow<\/a><\/p>\n

But fans were in the dark, with no formal statement coming for days and an emotional Ricciardo not acknowledging the end with any farewell gesture.<\/p>\n

\u201cUltimately, I got let go,\u201d Ricciardo admitted to Farley, the CEO of Ford.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was the reality at the time. I think once that happened, I\u2019d been let go twice in the last two years, and it had also taken a lot out of me.<\/p>\n

\"DanielDaniel Ricciardo cut a despondent figure during the Singapore grand prix. Credit: Getty Images<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d put a lot of my soul into it. I was pretty exhausted by it.\u201d<\/p>\n

But if Ricciardo was bitter at the time, he isn\u2019t now, making a personal admission about his motivation at the time, and his patchy form.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn reflection, I was grateful that they made the decision for me,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it would have been hard (for me to say), \u2018I\u2019m done.\u2019 I think I knew I was probably done because I knew it was harder for me to perform at the level I could.<\/p>\n

\u201c(Fernando) Alonso, these guys are in their 40s in F1, competing very highly (Alonso is 44).<\/p>\n

\u201cFor whatever reason, I lost a little bit of something … and it\u2019s OK to admit it. It\u2019s fine.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 36-year-old said the high and lows of his career took their toll, admitting there some days where he was \u201cvery uninterested\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are a lot of days that hurt,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know, there are a lot of days where you\u2019re frustrated and there\u2019s so much that\u2019s out of your control, and, of course, I\u2019ll take accountability when I can, but there are days that just hurt and suck.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was like one of the lucky ones. I was able to win races in Formula 1. I won eight races, but I entered over 250 … so I don\u2019t know what that works out in percentage, but it\u2019s a pretty low percentage of success rate.<\/p>\n

\u201cI compare it to a team sport, for example, maybe their record is 50 per cent, probably better for a lot of teams, so the days that are good days, really good days, are far and few between.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut there\u2019s something about it that just keeps bringing you back, and I think it makes the highs higher, sure, because you don\u2019t win every day, you appreciate it when you do.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut there were days, yeah, where I was very uninterested. And, you know, I, I can tell you numerous occasions where I was, yeah, I\u2019m done.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ricciardo\u2019s advice to aspiring drivers also gave an insight into the pain he still feels.<\/p>\n

\u201cRemove any fairytales,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cRemove your ego as much as possible.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s people that love you and will still tell you that you\u2019re great and you can do it, but as much as you love them as well, you need to just close the door and make that decision on your own and be really honest with yourself.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I would have got to the end of last year, I think I would have still had a lot of these thoughts and had had the conversation with myself, because I knew it was becoming harder for me, and I had to dig really deep to pull out a result that I was proud of.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou always want to believe everyone\u2019s looking out for you, and they probably still are, but they don\u2019t know what it\u2019s like to be you and in your situation.<\/p>\n

\u201cGive yourself enough alone time. You\u2019ll find the answer.<\/p>\n

\u201cLast year, my retirement year, I gave myself a lot of time to just reflect on my career and to be at peace with it.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

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3 min read<\/p>\n

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