For there are many who believe that Ricciardo, who had a firm contract for 2023, should have been given more time to unlock the speed that everyone knows is within him.
But F1 is not a championship where being nice offers guarantee rewards. It is a brutal arena where success and failure is measured in tenths of a second – and if any element of your package is not performing then it needs addressing. Stand still for a moment and you find yourself going backwards.
