Daniel Ricciardo F1 News: Helmut Marko puts RB replacement under HUGE pressure

Thumbnail for article regarding test of Lawson and Ricciardo — Photo: © IMAGO

Daniel Ricciardo

Red Bull F1 chief puts Ricciardo replacement under HUGE pressure

Liam Lawson was announced as Daniel Ricciardo's immediate replacement at RB

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Friday 4 October 2024 10:49

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Daniel Ricciardo's RB replacement is set for an intense return to Formula 1 after the Red Bull secondary team confirmed the Aussie star would be axed with immediate effect.

Liam Lawson will race alongside Yuki Tsunoda for the remainder of the 2024 season, and will be eager to prove himself to RB and Red Bull's main team to be considered for either of their 2025 driver lineups.

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The 22-year-old previously stood in for an injured Ricciardo in 2023, impressing the paddock, most notably by knocking three-time champion Max Verstappen out of qualifying ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix.

The shocking result caught everyone's attention, including Red Bull, and despite their junior team choosing to stick with Ricciardo again for 2024, that decision clearly hasn't paid off.

Lawson is just one of Red Bull's young talents hoping to secure a full-time seat with either team and, with the pressure to perform mounting on Sergio Perez, we could even see the Kiwi star partner with Verstappen in 2025, if he impresses from the US GP onwards.

Daniel Ricciardo has been dropped by RB mid-season

Liam Lawson will partner Yuki Tsunoda for the remainder of 2024

Will Lawson get a Red Bull seat for 2025?

Red Bull are notorious for their brutal driver swaps, with Helmut Marko often insisting on mid-season changes in his role as head of driver development for the reigning constructors champions.

The 81-year-old has made his own beliefs on RB running as a junior team for Red Bull insistently clear, often name-dropping their young stars who he hopes could one day get a chance to prove they belong in the pinnacle of motorsport.

In his most recent column for speedweek, Marko revealed: "Liam Lawson will now be able to contest the last six rounds of the World Championship for the Racing Bulls team.

"We will evaluate how he compares to Yuki Tsunoda and then we will see what happens. He must deliver a performance worthy of Formula 1, as he has done in his previous GP appearances.

"We have other strong juniors in the junior squad, such as Ayumu Iwasa and Isack Hadjar. We will use them in the rookie sprint, which is to be held on the junior test day after the season finale in Abu Dhabi. Then we will see how it goes."

The rookie sprint will no longer run this season after the FIA confirmed the race had been cancelled earlier this week.

The pressure still remains firmly on Lawson however, as the junior test day still looks to be going ahead, providing a chance for talents like Iwasa and Hadjar to prove they are equally as worthy of a Red Bull seat.

F1 Red Bull FIA Daniel Ricciardo Sergio Perez Yuki Tsunoda