Red Bull F1 team hit with Daniel Ricciardo return demand

christian horner, daniel ricciardo, helmut marko, red bull, rb, graphic — Photo: © IMAGO

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Red Bull hit with Daniel Ricciardo return demand

Red Bull are facing demand for even further driver changes in 2025

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Thursday 27 March 2025 21:56 Updated: 17:14

Red Bull Formula 1 team have been hit with a fan demand over a return for axed racer Daniel Ricciardo on social media, following a major shake-up of their F1 driver lineup.

Christian Horner and Helmut Marko are no strangers to enacting a mid-season driver swap and just two rounds into the 2025 season, they have already dropped Liam Lawson back down to their junior outfit Racing Bulls following an initial struggle for the young star.

Lawson appeared confident of his abilities in previous seasons when subbing in for Ricciardo, having impressed by finishing just outside the points on debut in P11 when the Aussie star was injured in 2023.

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After failing to score any championship points during the Australian or Chinese GP weekends in the RB21, however, Lawson has been demoted with Yuki Tsunoda stepping up to become Max Verstappen's sixth team-mate in nine years at the Milton Keynes-based outfit.

Fans yearn for Ricciardo return among Red Bull driver fiasco

News of Red Bull's somewhat brutal driver decision was confirmed on Thursday, ahead of the Japanese GP on April 6.

As is often the case with F1 news, the story leaked a few days earlier and before being confirmed by Red Bull, Lawson's demotion was perhaps the worst kept secret, with rumours of the move spreading as early as Sunday, following the conclusion of the on-track action in Shanghai.

GPFans reported the news of Lawson's expected team switch before it had been confirmed with a large amount of fans taking to TikTok to comment on the video demanding for Ricciardo to make a return if Lawson wasn't deemed up to the job.

One user bluntly requested: "Bring Daniel Ricciardo back", whilst another agreed: "only other person able to drive Max's car."

Referring to the fan favourite racer's nickname, one comment read: "Please do give the honey badger a second chance," after Ricciardo was replaced by Lawson last season at the junior team.

In a cruel twist of fate, Lawson has been demoted early, similarly to how the team dropped Ricciardo midway through 2024, a move which left fans perplexed and angry.

One user shared the sentiment that Red Bull axing Ricciardo was the wrong move given his experience, saying: "If they never kicked out Danny, Red Bull would have always won the championship."

Horner's outfit are already falling behind in the championship and currently sit in P3, 21 points behind Mercedes, with the team hoping Tsunoda will boost their chances of returning to the top for the remainder of the season.