Asked why the team had pitted him for fresh tyres at the end of the race, a spokesperson for RB said: “If it was to be his last race, we wanted him to go out on a high.”
The RB spokesperson added that the team did not know whether a decision had been made. Ricciardo’s future will be decided by Red Bull management, primarily team principal Christian Horner and motorsport adviser Helmut Marko.
Ricciardo said: “I guess it [could] help Max out by Abu Dhabi so maybe there is a Christmas present coming if he wins by a point.”
Verstappen said: “He can ask for whatever he wants.”
The Dutchman, who was team-mate with Ricciardo at Red Bull from 2016-2018, paid tribute to the 35-year-old.
“He’s a great guy,” Verstappen said. “We always had a great relationship. We had a sporty rivalry in the team.
“He will be remembered as a great driver, as a great person. He has a great character. It’s very rare someone hates him. In a few years’ time when I won’t be here anymore, we will sit back and have a beer and remember all those years together.”
Ricciardo left Red Bull for Renault at the end of 2018 and spent two seasons in the French team, in which he performed competitively, before moving to McLaren in 2021.
Once there, he struggled to get on the pace of team-mate Norris, and was dropped after the 2022 season, a year before the end of his contract.
Ricciardo landed a role as Red Bull reserve for 2023 and was brought back to a race seat halfway through last season as a replacement for Dutchman Nyck de Vries, whose performances for the junior team had not been enough to satisfy management.
But two races into his return, Ricciardo broke his hand in a crash at the Dutch Grand Prix and was replaced by Lawson for five events.
Red Bull’s hope in bringing him back was that he might recover the form he had shown with them last decade and become a potential replacement for Sergio Perez as Verstappen’s team-mate.
But more often than not he has been outperformed by team-mate Yuki Tsunoda.
Ricciardo told Sky Sports: “I have to acknowledge why I came back after the McLaren stint and I always said I didn’t want to come back just to be on the grid – I wanted to fight at the front and get back with Red Bull.
“It didn’t come to fruition. I also have to ask myself the question of what else could I achieve and what else is there to really go for?
“I put my best foot forward and maybe the fairytale ending didn’t happen, but I also have to look back on what it’s been, 13 or so years. I’m proud.”
Ricciardo had to choke back tears when asked why he had sat so long in the cockpit of his car after the race.
He said: “A lot of emotions. I am aware it could be it. Just exhausted after the race, so a flood of emotions and feelings and exhaustion. The cockpit is something I got very used to for many years. Just wanted to savour the moment.”
