Daniel Ricciardo’s ‘natural talent’ in Formula 1 has been questioned by a former colleague following his departure from the sport earlier this season.

The Aussie star entered the Singapore Grand Prix weekend last month with the paddock speculating whether it would be his last race in F1.

Ricciardo severely underperformed in comparison to his team-mate Yuki Tsunoda throughout the 2024 season, and with junior driver Liam Lawson eager for a full-time opportunity in F1, the pressure mounted on Ricciardo to perform.

However, the 35-year-old endured a disastrous Singapore GP weekend, where he finished last out of the remaining runners, and his F1 exit seemed to be decided.

Daniel Ricciardo was axed from F1 after the Singapore GP

Liam Lawson has replaced Daniel Ricciardo for the rest of the seasonDaniel Ricciardo’s ‘natural’ F1 talent questioned

Lawson was soon announced as Ricciardo’s replacement for the remainder of the season, and has returned to F1 with a strong intent.

The Kiwi beat Tsunoda in Austin, after Lawson battled from the back of the grid to claim P9 and a points finish for RB, his success over Tsunoda demonstrating how far Ricciardo’s performance had declined.

However, Ricciardo remains highly regarded for his skill in F1 with Phil Charles, a former chief race engineer at Toro Rosso (now VCARB), revealing his superpower via the James Allen on F1 podcast – despite insisting the Honey Badger might not have been the most naturally talented driver.

“He was a real disciple, a professor of the game so his superpower was that,” he said.

“He was intelligently going into all the avenues of driving a race car.

Daniel Ricciardo’s natural talent as a driver has been questioned by a former colleague

“Daniel maybe didn’t have as much natural talent but he thought about how to do every part of driving, so he invested himself in every direction.

“When he got into the car, he’d always done his homework and understood what he needed to get out of the car and went into the weekend with a really good approach.

“That was his superhero power, a big brain.”