Red Bull plans confirmed for Max Verstappen ban as Daniel Ricciardo verdict delivered

Red Bull have a plan in place for if Max Verstappen receives a one-race ban later in the season, with a Daniel Ricciardo verdict issued.

Verstappen picked up a 10-second penalty at the Spanish Grand Prix for appearing to intentionally crash into the Mercedes of George Russell, with the severity of the incident also leading race stewards to slam Verstappen with three penalty points on his super licence.

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That took Verstappen up to 11 penalty points in the last 12 months, with 12 in a 12-month period being enough for a standard one-race ban.

The first of Verstappen's penalty points expire on June 30, meaning the Dutchman has to go two races (the Canadian GP and the Austrian GP) without picking up another point, or he will be banned.

A ban at this stage of the season could be fatal for Verstappen's championship chances, particularly as he is already sat 49 points behind leader Oscar Piastri.

However, Red Bull have a plan in place to replace the Dutchman, as to avoid too much disruption to their hopes in the constructors' championship.

GPFans understands that Liam Lawson or Isack Hadjar would step up into the main team, while Red Bull junior driver Ayumu Iwasa would replace either at Racing Bulls to fill the void at the sister team.

That means that fans dreaming of a one-off race for Daniel Riccardo to make a proper farewell will be disappointed.

Ricciardo was axed by Red Bull's sister team midway through 2024 following some dismal results, but left without being given a proper send-off, with the move to replace him announced in between races.

Lawson to make Red Bull return?

A decision to promote Lawson up into the seat for one race would make the most sense, with the New Zealander already having experience in the RB21, but it would also make for a stunning turnaround, with the team having axed him just two races into the 2025 season.

Lawson has instead once again been applying his trade with Racing Bulls alongside Hadjar, who himself has had a phenomenal rookie season.

Hadjar has picked up 21 points so far this season, more than Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda, despite not having driven a single race with the main Red Bull team, unlike the other two.

The idea to give Iwasa his grand prix debut in the Racing Bulls car also dispels the theory that 17-year-old Arvid Lindblad would be given his debut in the sport, following some stunning performances in F2 throughout 2025.

READ MORE: F1 stewards side with Max Verstappen after George Russell incident at Spanish GP

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