Red Bull has made it “very clear” to Daniel Ricciardo that they want him to become an ambassador, but it was Christian Horner’s tease of an F1 return for the axed Aussie which caused confusion. Intense speculation followed Ricciardo into and throughout the Singapore Grand Prix that this would be his final race with Red Bull junior team VCARB,

Liam Lawson will have the chance to earn a promotion to a Red Bull Formula 1 drive should he impress in his spell with RB, team boss Christian Horner has indicated. Lawson, who conducted five appearances last term, will compete in the remaining six F1 rounds this season as a replacement at RB for the expelled Daniel Ricciardo.

Ricciardo was always intended to be Red Bull's safety net. But fluctuating form and a series of decisions leaves the veteran out of F1.