Daniel Ricciardo F1 News: Red Bull star reveals KEY driver swap call

Verstappen and Lawson together — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 News & Gossip

Red Bull star reveals KEY driver swap call

Liam Lawson opens up on how he found out he was replacing Daniel Ricciardo

Jay Winter

Friday 25 October 2024 10:58

Liam Lawson has opened up about the moment he learned he would replace Daniel Ricciardo at Red Bull’s sister team.

The 22-year-old Kiwi was drafted in after Ricciardo failed to live up to expectations, allowing Lawson to step up into the VCARB seat, and he has since earned praise for his standout performance at the United States Grand Prix.

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In an interview with Sky Sports, Lawson revealed that it was Red Bull Racing boss Christian Horner who personally delivered the life-changing news in a face-to-face meeting.

"It wasn’t a phone call actually," Lawson explained.

"It was a phone call for a meeting, and it was Christian directly that basically told me, which was obviously a very, very cool thing, something I’ve visualised for a long time."

Christian Horner spoke directly to Liam Lawson about his F1 promotion

Lawson’s first move after receiving the big news

After being told he would be replacing Ricciardo, Lawson’s first call was to his father in New Zealand.

Despite the time difference, his dad was ready and waiting for the news in the early hours of the morning.

"It was like 3 a.m. in New Zealand and I called him, and he answered straight away," Lawson said.

"He knew that weekend was a time that we were having these discussions, yeah, he was ready for it, it was cool."

Ricciardo was shown the door after failing to live up to Red Bull's expectations

Lawson's strong start to life at VCARB has only intensified speculation about his future within the Red Bull programme as he continues to turn heads in the F1 paddock.

It is looking more and more likely that he is in direct competition with Yuki Tsunoda and Sergio Perez for a seat alongside Max Verstappen at Red Bull for 2025.

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