Is Red Bull at risk of losing $35 million by sacking Daniel Ricciardo?
Daniel Ricciardo's exit from RB might become an expensive affair for Red Bull due to the Australian's massive popularity.
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Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen (via racefans.net)
Daniel Ricciardo returned to Formula 1 with AlphaTauri (now RB) midway through 2023 to replace Nyck de Vries. This came after the Australian driver became the third driver for Red Bull earlier that year. Now, Ricciardo has once again been booted out of the F1 grid.
The Honey Badger remains a big name in Formula 1. With millions of fans disappointed to see him get sacked by Red Bull. Daniel Ricciardo failed to prove himself against Yuki Tsunoda this year despite previously being considered to partner Max Verstappen at Milton Keynes.
However, Red Bull’s decision to replace Ricciardo with Liam Lawson for the remainder of 2024 could have massive consequences on the finances of RB. As the Faenza-based Red Bull sister team no longer has the one of the most popular drivers in its line-up.
RB’s sponsorship deals were reportedly linked to Daniel Ricciardo
In mid-2024, reports emerged that RB was not willing to fire Daniel Ricciardo despite a disastrous start to the season due to its sponsorship deals with Visa and CashApp. It was rumored that the two deals worth $35 million were linked to Ricciardo’s presence on the team. So much so that it was the Australian’s management that finalized this deal. Moreover, there will also be a big drop in merch sales.
However, Red Bull has now pulled the plug with the Australian. This leaves a void in terms of commercial value for RB. Although, so far there has been no word about Visa or CashApp potentially canceling their deals after 2024. Perhaps, the Austrian giant has convinced the two brands to stay onboard considering F1’s massive popularity.
On the other hand, Helmut Marko has left the door open for an ambassadorial role for Ricciardo post his F1 exit. This could be a way of salvaging the multi-million dollar deals with RB partners. Although, Daniel Ricciardo is yet to comment on such a possibility.
Certainly, Daniel Ricciardo’s absence would be a commercial blow to RB in the short-term. However, it seems that the team has decided that it is better to test Lawson as a long-term prospect than to think about financial gain. Fans would be looking forward to seeing how the sponsorship landscape looks for the Faenza-based team next season.
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Armaan Agarwal
(2331 Articles Published)