Red Bull has admitted that it mishandled Daniel Ricciardo's final Formula 1 race, a sentiment shared by numerous pundits, fans, and even Ricciardo's former teammate, Max Verstappen.
Liam Lawson revealed that both he and Ricciardo were aware of the impending seat change at RB well before the Singapore Grand Prix, but they were prohibited from speaking publicly until an official statement was released days after the event.
Team advisor Dr. Helmut Marko explained, "Daniel Ricciardo's departure was announced after the race weekend in Singapore for compelling reasons related to commercial agreements."
However, Verstappen wasn't pleased with how it was handled.
"I think it could have been handled a little bit differently," Verstappen remarked in Austin. "If he can't handle it and say it his way, it's a bit of a shame.
"He did a lot for Formula 1. He's won races, he did incredible races, and he deserves - let's say - a great exit."
The Red Bull-owned team's principal Laurent Mekies also agreed with this sentiment.
"Yes, you're right, it was not ideal to go through the weekend in that way," Mekies said.
"First of all for him, on a professional and on a personal level, but also for the whole team around him. For many different reasons, we chose together to go into that weekend without announcing," he explained.
"From that point onwards, we had to deal with it. It's a decision that, in hindsight, we may or may not do differently."
Even though there was no official confirmation during the Singapore race weekend, Ricciardo's emotions and the reactions of those around him made it clear that his F1 career was ending.
Mekies added, "I think in one way or another, we all found a way to express how much love there is from the sport to Daniel. I don't know if it would have been better or worse, but certainly different, more traditional.
"But I can say that the amount of love and empathy we felt through that weekend was something outstanding and shows that he's bigger than an F1 driver - bigger than F1."
