Daniel Ricciardo rival speaks out on F1 seat rumors

Daniel Ricciardo, VCARB, Visa, RB, Bahrain, 2024 — Photo: © IMAGO

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Ricciardo rival speaks out on F1 seat rumors

Liam Lawson weighed in on the speculation surrounding a potential Daniel Ricciardo replacement at RB

Originally written by Yara Elshebiny. This version is a translation.

Tuesday 16 April 2024 21:00

An F1 rival weighed in on the speculation surrounding his potential promotion, replacing the struggling Daniel Ricciardo at RB.

The 2025 driver market continues to be a hot topic, with whispers swirling around the future of several midfield seats. One team that is expected to shake up their driver lineup for next year is the Visa Cash App RB team (formerly AlphaTauri).

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After a strong showing in a couple of substitute appearances in 2023, many believed Liam Lawson had done enough to earn a permanent seat at RB for the current season. However, the team ultimately opted for the experience of Ricciardo, leaving the young New Zealander on the sidelines.

Lawson currently finds himself as the reserve driver for both Red Bull and their sister team, patiently waiting for his chance to break into F1.

Liam Lawson is waiting for his chance to join the F1 grid after a strong showing last season

Lawson downplays Ricciardo replacement rumours

The lack of clarity surrounding Ricciardo's future comes amid a string of underwhelming performances.

The Australian's season has been a stark contrast to his team-mate Tsunoda's, as he remains scoreless and languishes in 17th as F1 heads to China for the fifth round of the season.

His poor performance probably killed any possibility of him joining a top team in the near future, especially his former stomping ground, Red Bull.

"It's unfortunately just rumours at the moment," Lawson revealed in a recent interview on the F1 Nation podcast.

"To tell you the truth, I have absolutely no idea."

Currently, Tsunoda sits comfortably in 11th place in the driver's championship with seven points, already surpassing Ricciardo's entire points tally from last season.

The young Japanese driver has impressed with his consistency this year. He secured a strong seventh-place finish in Australia, and more recently, he managed to grab a crucial point for the RB team in front of his home crowd at Suzuka, finishing 10th after a dramatic first lap that saw Ricciardo crash out with Williams' Alexander Albon.

This result made Tsunoda the first Japanese driver to score points at Suzuka since 2012.

"He's never been slow," Lawson said of Tsunoda. "He's always been very, very fast. It's a consistency thing. He's on form this year. He is very consistent and not making many mistakes."

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