F1 2025: What Daniel Ricciardo said to Liam Lawson will make you love him even more

Lawson, Ricciardo, socials — Photo: © IMAGO

Daniel Ricciardo

What Daniel Ricciardo said to Liam Lawson will make you love him even more

Daniel Ricciardo was replaced by Liam Lawson at VCARB

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Saturday 8 March 2025 21:54 Updated: 00:29

Red Bull star Liam Lawson has revealed a mutual respect between himself and axed Formula 1 icon Daniel Ricciardo, despite taking his place on the grid in 2024.

Lawson was given the opportunity to race for Red Bull's sister team following the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix, stepping in for Ricciardo, who had suffered a disappointing season alongside Yuki Tsunoda.

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It meant that Ricciardo is likely to have raced his final grand prix in the sport, with no available options for him for 2025, and 2026 looking to be a stretch for the Australian, despite the arrival of a new team on the grid.

Lawson, on the other hand, excelled alongside Tsunoda in the second half of the season, and has now been promoted into the main Red Bull team at the expense of another experienced racer in Sergio Perez.

Daniel Ricciardo was axed by RB during the 2024 season

Lawson reveals Ricciardo support

Lawson will race alongside Max Verstappen at Red Bull in 2025, as the team hope to get themselves back into constructors' world championship contention.

Although Verstappen cruised to a fourth consecutive drivers' title last year, Red Bull could only muster a third-place finish in the teams' standings, finishing behind both McLaren and Ferrari.

Ricciardo had been thought to be a candidate to replace Perez himself, but his poor performances made that implausible, and he started having to worry about his F1 career as a whole being over due to the threat of Lawson.

Despite this, Lawson has revealed that Ricciardo offered him words of support throughout the ordeal, and even congratulated the young New Zealander when his move to Red Bull was confirmed back in December.

"I actually spoke to Daniel a lot when it was happening," Lawson told GQ Magazine. "I will always have so much respect for him.

"Throughout the whole ordeal, from when the rumours started to when they were confirmed, he never said a bad word about or towards me.

"He never made it about me and him, because at the end of the day, it wasn’t our decision, it’s up to the team, and what they decide to do. He was so good to me, through all of it.

"Fast forward to December, when I got the Red Bull seat, and Daniel is still the only driver, past or present, to send me a message about it, congratulating me. It says a lot about him as a person."