"We miss Daniel Ricciardo": F1 insider as the Australian's absence is felt during his home race

The 2025 Australian Grand Prix weekend is currently underway in Melbourne, and homeboy Daniel Ricciardo was missing from the paddock as he failed to grab a seat for the season. Meanwhile, F1 insider Ted Kravitz, reporting for Sky Sports from the ground, said that the paddock felt a lot quieter in Ricciardo's absence.

Ricciardo, an eight-time F1 race winner, raced in F1 for more than a decade. He reached the peak of his career with Red Bull Racing, but switching teams to Renault and then McLaren proved to be catastrophic in hindsight.

While Ricciardo returned to Red Bull in 2023 as a reserve driver, he wasn't able to prove himself worthy enough to grab the second seat beside four-time world champion Max Verstappen. Hence, the team dropped him midway through the 2024 season, and the Australian driver eventually failed to secure a seat for the 2025 season.

Meanwhile, with Ricciardo's home race, the Australian Grand Prix currently underway at Albert Park Circuit, his absence on the paddock was felt by insider Ted Kravitz, who was reporting from the paddock for Sky Sports when he said:

"We miss Daniel Ricciardo. It's a quieter paddock and a slightly less sunny paddock without Ricciardo."

That being said, Ricciardo has always been a fan favorite. His humor and lively personality are loved by all F1 fans. Not only that, Netflix's documentary series 'Drive to Survive' only boosted the Australian driver's popularity.

Despite Racing Bulls giving him a chance to contest for the Red Bull seat, Ricciardo failed to capitalize on that and lost his seat in the sport for the 2025 season.

---

Liam Lawson recalls a special message from Daniel Ricciardo after bagging a Red Bull seat

Daniel Ricciardo [L] with Liam Lawson [R] (Image Source: Getty)

Eight-time F1 race winner Daniel Ricciardo lost his opportunity to make a comeback to Red Bull to junior driver Liam Lawson, as both were lookingto replace Sergio Perez. The New Zealander replaced the Australian in the second half of the 2024 season, and his audition was good enough to land him a seat at Red Bull.

While Ricciardo was eventually sacked by the team, he still got in touch with Lawson to congratulate the rookie for his promotion. Talking to GQ, Lawson said:

“I actually spoke to Daniel a lot when it was happening. I will always have so much respect for him. He never made it about me and him, because at the end of the day it wasn’t our decision. When I got the Red Bull seat, Daniel was still the only driver, past or present, to send me a message about it, congratulating me."

Lawson added that this gesture defines Daniel Ricciardo as a person, as he chose to keep his ego aside to congratulate him for the big milestone.