RB boss Laurent Mekies has admitted Red Bull has been “too public” on possible mid-season Formula 1 driver swaps amid rumours Daniel Ricciardo will be replaced.
There have been intense rumours that the Singapore Grand Prix marked Ricciardo’s final F1 outing as Red Bull reserve Liam Lawson could be in line to take his spot.
Ricciardo began the weekend’s proceedings awaiting a decision on his 2025 prospects, but his outlook changed post-race to admitting he could lose his drive sooner.
READ MORE: Daniel Ricciardo admits Singapore GP could have been his last F1 race
The Australian’s change in stance comes amid Red Bull’s public declaration that it will once again sit down over the ongoing autumn break to discuss its driver stable.
Red Bull conducted a similar practice earlier this season during the summer shutdown when it was touted that Sergio Perez‘s wretched streak could see him be axed.
However, Mekies has acknowledged that Red Bull’s openness about those conversations might have been delivering heightened pressure onto drivers like Ricciardo.
“There is nothing wrong with reviewing your drivers’ performance every few races, and I think we have perhaps been too public about it,” Mekies told SiriusXM.
“We have done it in the first part of the season, we have done it quite famously just before the summer break.
“I guess at some stage we have said we will see after Singapore as well to discuss!
“So it’s part of the game. Certainly sometimes you can see it’s probably going a bit too far in terms of pressure, above all for Daniel in that case.
“I think the first thought is for Daniel, because he has had a lot of that this season.
“Some reasons it’s been quiet, some races it’s been very difficult, this is for sure one of the very difficult races.
“Of course, these guys are high-level athletes and they know how to deal with it but sometimes it’s a bit unnecessary.”
RB suspect rumours have impacted Ricciardo
Ricciardo showed encouraging pace through practice in Singapore, but he slumped to a Q1 exit and then trailed home 18th as he pitted late on to post the fastest lap.
Mekies has accepted that such distractions to a driver can prove to be decisive when the margins within the midfield group across this campaign have been marginal.
“If you look at the global picture, for sure as much as we would like to think it’s not a distraction, it’s always taking a little bit of energy out of you,” he added.
“And when everything is so tight, and Daniel was super-fast this weekend all the way through, he didn’t get an ideal session with the Soft.
“When everything matters a tenth here and a tenth there, for sure we cannot forget about the particularly difficult context he had this weekend.”
