Visa RB team boss, Laurent Mekies, admits that the team mishandled Daniel Ricciardo’s departure. The Australian driver did not receive an official farewell from his team during his last Formula 1 race. Mekies is grateful that the fans found a way to thank the departing driver.
During the Grand Prix weekend in Singapore, rumors were already circulating that this race could be the last in Daniel Ricciardo’s F1 career. The official announcement that the Australian would be replaced by Liam Lawson was not made until a few days after the race at the Marina Bay Street Circuit. Many fans, including a critical Max Verstappen, were disappointed in Visa RB for not giving the driver an official farewell.
Visa RB team boss, Laurent Mekies, now admits that his team should have handled Ricciardo’s departure better. “We are not happy with how we ultimately handled it and we are of course aware that we could and should have done better,” the Frenchman tells Formula1.com.
“Daniel and we spoke to each other very regularly and we went into that weekend knowing what the situation was,” Mekies continues. “For a number of reasons, we decided to try not to make it public in Singapore and it quickly became apparent over the weekend that it was unfortunately not the right decision. We would certainly do it differently if we had to do it over.”
Bigger than Formula 1
According to Mekies, the lack of an official farewell from the team was made up for by the fans present. “What we saw in Singapore, the reaction of the fans and from the paddock, it was incredible how all these streams of love and support arrived in some way. We felt that the fans found a way (to say goodbye). We all love Daniel, and he proved there that he is bigger than Formula 1,” says the French team boss.
