Liam Lawson steps in for Ricciardo at RB F1, sparking debates on his future and Red Bull’s strategic moves in Singapore.
Liam Lawson revealed that he has known for two weeks that he would be making his Formula 1 return at the upcoming Austin race, a development that again confirms that the Red Bull family could have done something special for Daniel Ricciardo in Singapore.
RB F1 confirmed yesterday that Lawson would replace Ricciardo in the team with immediate effect.
During the Singapore Grand Prix weekend, team director Laurent Mekies stated that “nothing had been decided so far” regarding their plans for the rest of the year—a clearly false statement.
“It finally feels real; obviously, I’ve known for probably two weeks, but until it’s known to the whole world, it never really seems set in stone,” Lawson told the New Zealand Herald.
“I couldn’t tell anyone.”
“It’s been the plan for a long time now. Obviously, I had a contract date to adhere to, so basically, it was heading in this direction, and then a few weeks ago, they told me this was going to happen. And shortly after, it was set in stone.”
Lawson, who replaced Ricciardo for five races last year, said it was not pleasant being in the RB F1 garage in Singapore last weekend under these circumstances.
“Singapore was certainly not a pleasant weekend for me, simply because we all knew what was going to happen. At the same time, Daniel has always been very good to me in many ways when I was driving last year.”
“Even this season, he has always been someone with whom I’ve never felt like I was in competition or anything like that. He never gave off that vibe.”
“It was not a pleasant feeling. But for me, it’s clear, I have a chance in F1 and it has come now and I am obviously grateful for this opportunity. But now, I must grab it with both hands. And at the same time, he told me the same thing and said, ‘you know you have to make the most of it.'”
Mekies finally indicated on Sunday evening that “it might have been Daniel’s last race.” Lawson said he had “tremendous respect for the way Daniel has handled all of this because I can’t really imagine it.”
“It’s a similar position to where I was last year, but obviously, Daniel is just much more known, much more famous than me. So he gets a lot of questions and tries to dodge them, he has done a very good job.”
For Liam Lawson, it’s in any case a major new audition, as he has not been confirmed for 2025 just yet. The last time Lawson drove an F1 car on track was about two months ago, at the start of the summer break, when he was behind the wheel of a 2022 AlphaTauri at Monza.
Given the many speculations all season about team changes between RB F1 or Red Bull and Lawson’s place in this puzzle, it was considered an important evaluation test.
And Lawson confirmed that was the case, answering “no” when asked if his chances of being there in 2025 are secured.
“These were all evaluation days and they were designed to put a lot of pressure on me. It was for an event like this, to launch me – similar to last year – mid-season. They needed to know that I would perform somewhat. These were definitely evaluation days. And the evaluation will certainly continue over the remaining 6 races.”
The fact that the change has occurred now could mean that Red Bull wants to use these races to evaluate Lawson as a potential replacement in 2025 for Sergio Perez, who has often struggled.
“I essentially have until the end of this season, and then I’ll know more as the season progresses. At this point, it’s the six races at RB F1.”
When asked if he knew what performances were required in these six races to secure a seat in 2025, he replied, “I need to perform, basically. I need to try to show my worth in F1 and I would say do a job similar to what I did last year. That’s what got me this chance now.”
“I just have to do enough to at least stay in this seat next year. Then, we’ll see if there can be something better.”
Why didn’t Red Bull make the news official before Singapore?
Indeed, Dr. Helmut Marko himself admits that the Australian driver already knew what awaited him in Singapore.
“The timing was related to various factors and obligations. He was informed and the farewell performance, as it were, was the fastest lap.”
“It still showed the potential he had, even if it wasn’t consistent and not at the level that would take him to Red Bull Racing.”
“Since he left us for Renault, he has lost his winning instinct, and I can’t explain what happened.”
For Red Bull, since Ricciardo was not up to a return to the top team, the decision to have Lawson participate in the remaining races of 2024 is strategic.
“We want to have a comparison. Where does Lawson stand relative to Yuki (Tsunoda), so that we know what the driver duo for our two teams will look like in the future.”
Another rumor suggests that Sergio Perez might announce his retirement from F1 at his home Grand Prix in Mexico next month, although the Mexican denied.
“We need to look to the future,” responds Marko. “There are many young talents on the launchpad like (Isaak) Hadjar, Lawson, and also (Ayumu) Iwasa.”
As for the criticism Red Bull has received for how long it took to reveal the news about Ricciardo, Marko insisted, “He himself has indicated that he is at peace with it.”
“He has accepted the situation, and we will see what his plans are for the future.”
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Lawson Confirms F1 Return – Ricciardo Out at RB Lawson Confirms F1 Return – Ricciardo Out at RB f1 2024 Lawson Confirms F1 Return – Ricciardo Out at RB
