Daniel Ricciardo in danger, soon to be replaced by Liam Lawson?
Daniel Ricciardo, who has been disappointing since the start of the season, is on the hot seat within the Red Bull family. Just before the Austrian Grand Prix, Helmut Marko, who is in charge of the team's young drivers, pushed for Liam Lawson to be given a chance.
This is a rumor that is spreading on the Austrian side. Helmut Marko has made sharp statements about the future of Daniel Ricciardo. It is the local newspaper Kleine Zeitung, a reliable source, now relayed by several media outlets, that reported the comments of the Red Bull young driver program director.
Racing Bulls has always been considered the antechamber, the little sister of the great Red Bull team. Shareholders have indicated that it is a junior team and we must act accordingly, said Helmut Marko.
« The goal was for him to be considered for a spot at Red Bull »
Indeed, the primary goal is to allow young drivers to demonstrate whether or not they have the abilities to perform within the main team and eventually be integrated into it. Daniel Ricciardio, who joined Racing Bulls in the middle of the 2023 season, is clearly no longer a hopeful in the discipline but an experienced pilot. In this sense, his time at Racing Bulls is not intended to last: « The goal was for him (Ricciardo) to be considered for a spot at Red Bull in case of exceptional performances. This spot now belongs to Perez, so this plan is no longer valid.
Has Sergio Perez’s recent contract extension until the end of 2026 signaled the end of Daniel Ricciardo’s F1 career?
Is Liam Lawson the ideal replacement at Racing Bulls?
Interrogated about the name of a possible successor to Daniel Ricciardo, a name emerged from Helmut Marko’s mouth: “We will soon have to put a young driver there. It could be Liam Lawson.” The choice to use the conditional tense is not insignificant. Nothing is less certain in the world of F1: between strategic pressures and rumors galore. But Liam Lawson is a credible driver to claim a seat in Formula 1.
The New Zealand driver had replaced… Daniel Ricciardo, at the end of 2023 when the latter injured his left hand. The young driver had then replaced him temporarily, for 5 Grand Prix races. He even managed to score points in his third race, in Singapore. His first laps had been promising.
Christian Horner, the director of the Red Bull team, has not yet commented on the subject. However, he has put pressure on Sergio Perez, who has also been disappointing lately. Case to be followed…
