Daniel Ricciardo concedes Red Bull 'fairy tale ending didn't happen ...

An emotional Daniel Ricciardo admitted there is a “realistic chance” he will not be in the cockpit at VCARB at the next race in Austin.

The Australian took the fastest lap of the race towards the end of the Singapore Grand Prix on Sunday, and was voted Driver of the Day by watching fans, though he and the team struggled for pace overall.

Reports surrounding Ricciardo’s future at VCARB had been swirling all weekend, with Liam Lawson waiting in the wings for a potential chance to impress this season.

While Ricciardo trails Yuki Tsunoda 22 points to 12 in the Drivers’ standings so far this season, he had been looking to use this season as an opportunity to audition for a return to Red Bull, having left at the end of 2018.

The eight-time Grand Prix winner was seen holding back his emotions in an interview with Formula1.com’s Lawrence Barretto after the race, saying he wanted to “savour the moment” as he took in the surroundings of his cockpit.

He admitted separately to Sky F1 that “maybe the fairy tale ending didn’t happen” with the return to Red Bull for which he had hoped, but when asked about his future prospects, there was a mixture of pride in the career he has had to date, along with preparedness in case the call comes for him to step aside.

“Look, obviously, there’s a realistic chance that it’s not going to happen,” he admitted to reporters in Singapore when asked if he will be in the car in Austin.

“I think, obviously, it’s been a very race-by-race situation with Red Bull, for all of us, in a way, obviously Checo [Perez] as well.

???? F1 schedule: When is the next F1 race and where is it being held?

???? F1 2024: Head-to-head race statistics between team-mates

“And at times, it feels like it’s going one way, then it goes the other. Obviously, there was a lot of emphasis on this weekend, and I would have loved a better weekend, and who knows if that would have changed anything, or if the decision’s been made already, even prior to the weekend, you know what I mean?

“So, I’m obviously prepared for it, and that’s why I think, over the weekend, I just tried to acknowledge a few things as well with myself, and I think acknowledged also why I came back into the sport.

“You know, sometimes you’ve got to see the big picture, and I always said I don’t just want to be a guy that’s here on the grid and fighting for a point every now and then, which has kind of been how this year’s gone.

“But obviously this year, the purpose was to try and then do good enough to get back into Red Bull, and obviously fight for wins again and see if I’ve still got it.

“Yeah, I feel like obviously I came up short with that. So, I think then it’s, ‘okay, what else am I fighting for here? What else is going to give me fulfillment?’

“I’ve been a young driver as well, and at some point, I don’t just want to take up space also, but obviously you have to be selfish.

“But I think for me, if I’m not able to then fight at the front with Red Bull, then, as I said, I have to ask myself, ‘what am I staying on the grid for?’ So that’s something I’ve also come to peace with.

“I tried to obviously enjoy it, you know, a little bit like the end of ’22 with McLaren.

“I was aware maybe that was my last race, so I tried to enjoy that.

“I think I’m in a much happier place now in the sport than I was then. So if this is it, let’s say I have a little bit more peace, and I’m proud of the career.

“Obviously, I tried to become World Champion. I tried to become the best at something in the world. I think it is a tall task that we ask from ourselves, and obviously, some achieve it, some don’t.

“In the end, if I came up a little short, I also can’t be too hard on myself. I’m happy with the effort I put in, and I think for that, there’s no sadness or feeling of regret or what could have been. I think I put my best foot forward.”

Read next: Max Verstappen ‘thank you Daniel’ message after huge title favour in potential F1 last stand