Juan Pablo Montoya pinpointed Daniel Ricciardo's 'moment of stupidity' in 2023 that ended his career

Former F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya claimed that former Red Bull driver Daniel Ricciardo's injury during the FP2 session at the 2023 Dutch Grand Prix was a "moment of stupidity". The Aussie left the sport at the end of the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix after he was dropped by VCARB in favour of Liam Lawson for the final six races of the year.

Ricciardo had made his comeback in the sport with the Faenza-based outfit after spending six months on the sidelines as the Red Bull reserve driver in 2023. After impressing everyone with his performances in Hungary and Spa, the 36-year-old sustained an unfortunate injury in Zandvoort.

In his bid to avoid hitting McLaren driver Oscar Piastri on the banking of Turn 3, Daniel Ricciardo crashed into the barriers, which injured his wrists and meant that he missed the next five races. The injury gave a chance to Liam Lawson, who in turn put in some eye-catching performances to throw his name in the hat for a full-time seat at VCARB.

While appearing on Montoyas Podcast, Juan Pablo Montoya gave his honest opinion on Ricciardo's crash, which in turn ended his career, and said:

“It was precisely for that reason that Lawson started. Think about it, a moment of stupidity of that magnitude defined Ricciardo’s career and opened the door to Lawson. If Ricciardo didn’t break his hand, Lawson wouldn’t have jumped on the bandwagon. It went very well for him; that’s why they gave him the seat.”

Despite some stunning results, Daniel Ricciardo's time with VCARB was marred by inconsistent performances in his final 15 months and being outraced by his then teammate Yuki Tsunoda.

Daniel Ricciardo provides an update on his life away from the track

Former McLaren driver Daniel Ricciardo stated that he had retired from the life he was living in F1 and was enjoying his downtime away from the track.

In his recent appearance at a karting track, the eight-time F1 race winner said:

“Future? I am just enjoying some life in the slow lane. It sounds weird saying retirement when I am [36] years old. But retirement from the world I was living in. Now that I’m a bit removed from it, and life is not as chaotic, it’s nice to remember what it was like to be at the start of a career. “We all have idols and heroes. I would be very nervous meeting someone whom I admired. So I understand sometimes it’s a bit overwhelming. But everyone seems pretty cool."

Daniel Ricciardo made his F1 debut in 2011 and raced for Toro Rosso, Red Bull, Renault, and McLaren before returning to the Faenza-based outfit to end his time at the pinnacle of motorsport.

Edited by pranavsethii