Red Bull has confirmed that Liam Lawson will replace Daniel Ricciardo at RB for the rest of the season, with six grands prix and three sprint races remaining.
“Everyone here at VCARB would like to thank Daniel for his hard work across the last two seasons with us. He has brought a lot of experience and talent to the team with a fantastic attitude, which has helped everyone to develop and foster a tight team spirit,” RB team principal Laurent Mekies said.
“Daniel has been a true gentleman both on and off the track and never without that smile. He will be missed, but will always hold a special place within the Red Bull family.
“I’d also like to take this opportunity to welcome Liam. He already knows the team well. He drove for us last season, and coped well under difficult circumstances, so it’ll be a natural transition. It’s great to see young talent from within the Red Bull family make the next step. We’re looking forward to getting our heads down and focusing on the rest of the season together.”
Lawson, who has served as a Red Bull reserve driver since 2022, made his grand prix debut last season when Ricciardo injured his hand at Zandvoort, suffering a broken metacarpal after crashing in practice. The injury required surgery, and Ricciardo worked to recover by the U.S. Grand Prix.
The 22-year-old competed in five races last season, delivering his best performance in Singapore, where he out-qualified Max Verstappen to reach Q3 and secured a points finish. His impressive stint on the grid kept him in the spotlight amid this year’s swirling speculation. Throughout the season, questions have emerged about the futures of Lawson, Ricciardo, and even Sergio Perez at the senior team.
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It seemed that the driver lineups were set for this season by the time Formula One had its summer break, with Red Bull having talks about Perez’s future in late July. Another review was planned for during the fall break, between Singapore and Austin. But at Marina Bay, speculation arose again about Ricciardo’s future.
The uncertainty wasn’t just about whether he’d race in 2025, as Red Bull had yet to announce its driver lineup, but also whether he’d even make it to Austin. Ricciardo was aware of the speculation but initially believed the post-Singapore discussions would focus primarily on next season. Confident he’d remain in the car for the rest of the year, the Australian driver, 35, said on media day, “I’m aware of some talk and speculation about the rest of the season. But that for me at the moment, I’m unaware of. The decision I expect is for next year.”
But the mood quickly shifted by Sunday.
Lando Norris may have won the grand prix, but it was Ricciardo who stole the spotlight. Despite qualifying P16 and running P18 in the final laps, he pitted for soft tires and set the fastest lap, going half a second quicker than Norris. This move ultimately benefited his former teammate Verstappen, who now leads the driver standings by 52 points instead of 51, as Norris was denied the crucial fastest lap point, awarded only to drivers finishing in the top 10.
After the race, Ricciardo sat in the car a bit longer than usual, telling F1 TV that he felt exhaustion and a wave of emotions. The Red Bull driver became emotional in a few interviews, sounding more like someone who felt like that was their last race, and the team held a guard of honor outside of its motorhome. Red Bull team principal Christian Horner claimed on Sunday that no decision had been made yet.
“I think I’m in a much happier place in the sport now than I was then,” Ricciardo said, referencing his McLaren stint that ended after the 2022 season. “If this was it, then let’s say I have a little bit more peace. I’m proud of the career — 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. 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. Happy with the effort I put in, and for that, there’s no sadness or feeling or regret or what could have been.”
Thirteen years, more than 250 starts, over 1,300 points, 32 podium finishes, eight wins and three pole positions. Those are the numbers that mark Ricciardo’s competitive F1 career. It started at HRT in 2011 before he moved over to Toro Rosso and made his mark within the Red Bull family. When he lost his McLaren seat in 2022, Red Bull brought him back as a third driver, and Ricciardo returned to the grid midway through 2023, replacing Nyck de Vries at AlphaTauri (now known as RB).
Ricciardo’s goal has been to return to Red Bull, the senior team and his home from 2014-2018. But his form fluctuated, and he seemed at peace, though emotional, with this chapter.
“Sometimes you see the big picture, and I always said I don’t want to be a guy who’s just here on the grid and fighting for a point every now and then, which has kinda been how this year’s gone,” Ricciardo said in Singapore. “Obviously this year, the purpose was to try and do good enough to get back into Red Bull and fight for wins again, see if I’ve still got it. I felt like I came up short with that, so I think it’s then ‘OK what else am I fighting for here, what else is going to give me fulfilment?’
“I’ve been a young driver as well, and at some point, I don’t just want to take up space also. Obviously, you have to be selfish, but for me, if I’m not able to fight at the front with Red Bull, I have to ask myself what am I staying on the grid for. That’s something I’ve also come to peace with.”
(Clive Mason – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images)
