Daniel Ricciardo F1 talks revealed as Red Bull star shares ‘uncomfortable’ moment

Talks between Daniel Ricciardo and a current F1 star have been revealed this season as the Aussie’s replacement comes to terms with his exit from the sport.

Liam Lawson, star of Red Bull’s junior team Racing Bulls, replaced Ricciardo last year after the Singapore GP, where the Aussie’s exit became the worst kept secret in the paddock.

Though Ricciardo’s sacking had not been confirmed ahead of the 2024 Singapore race weekend, there was a sense of finality in the air and now, a year on, Lawson has opened up over how the awkward situation of being called in to replace Ricciardo impacted their relationship.

The 36-year-old was once one of Red Bull's most promising talents, securing seven out of his eight career wins with the team between 2014 and 2018. But when Max Verstappen joined him at the Milton Keynes-based outfit in 2016, it quickly became clear that he would not be regarded as Red Bull's No.1 driver.

In what has frequently been described as the biggest mistake of his career, Ricciardo left Red Bull and joined Renault for 2019 and 2020, before heading to McLaren in 2021.

When the fan-favorite racer was dropped by the papaya outfit in favor of fellow countryman Oscar Piastri, Ricciardo turned to the Red Bull family once again, where he acted as a Red Bull reserve driver before dipping in and out of their junior team's lineup.

When the squad decided Nyck de Vries wasn't worth keeping for a full season, Ricciardo was called in to replace him at AlphaTauri, but not long after the swap, he broke his hand and Lawson received his first F1 call up.

Fast forward to the 2024 Singapore GP however, and that injury would prove fatal to Ricciardo's career after RB decided to swap Lawson in again, this time for good.

READ MORE: F1 team boss officially shuts down any chance of Christian Horner hiring

Lawson: Ricciardo was 'very supportive' after F1 swap

Speaking at this year's race in Singapore, Lawson reflected on the brutal Red Bull swap, saying: "For us it was obviously extremely uncomfortable."

"I think the only thing I took away from it was how much of a good person Daniel is and how he was to me through the whole journey from when I first came into this when he had his injury to going back to reserve.

"We had a very good relationship. We still do honestly and he's somebody that's I think my only take-away from that weekend last year was just how much respect I have for him."

Ricciardo's exit handed Lawson the chance to show that he deserved a seat this season, not just within the Red Bull family but even up at the main team. He was promoted to race alongside Verstappen at the start of 2025, but was swiftly demoted back to Racing Bulls when it all proved too much.

Discussing his current relationship with Ricciardo, Lawson revealed: "He sent me a nice message after Baku and he's obviously off on his own journey at the moment. He's just somebody who's been very supportive obviously.

"We're from the same part of the world as well so it's something that we probably both understand. It's quite difficult to get to this point and we're both very lucky."

READ MORE: Max Verstappen reveals reason he'd make Ferrari F1 switch

Related