Ricciardo says he hid pain after F1 exit

Daniel Ricciardo says he initially hid feelings of humiliation, failure and sadness after his Formula 1 career ended in 2024, but has since grown proud of his achievements and more at peace with life outside racing. The Australian discussed the emotional aftermath of his exit in an interview on F1 Beyond the Grid. He said his upbeat public appearances in the months after his departure masked significant pain. Ricciardo described the end of his career as a personal failure because he could no longer perform as he once had and did not finish the season. Racing Bulls replaced Ricciardo with Liam Lawson after the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix, his final Formula 1 race. Ricciardo said he disliked how his career ended, but was grateful the team made the decision. He questioned whether he would have stopped on his own if teams had continued offering him contracts. He said he had considered leaving the sport before, including after the 2015 British Grand Prix and the 2022 Monaco Grand Prix. In Monaco, he recalled telling his team he did not want to continue. Ricciardo said he had wanted to step away at other points, but found it difficult to distinguish his own wishes from encouragement...