Dr. Helmut Marko has confirmed Liam Lawson will replace Daniel Ricciardo at RB F1 next year, underscoring the team’s junior status.
Liam Lawson appears poised to replace Daniel Ricciardo at Red Bull’s junior team, RB F1, for 2025. As with Yuki Tsunoda, Dr. Helmut Marko pre-empts any potential official announcement from RB F1 by already declaring Lawson as the driver for 2025!
Amid the current “silly season” of the driver market, it seems a key date relevant to many contracts and final deadlines is towards the end of June.
“I’m ready for next week,” said Sauber driver Valtteri Bottas. “There’s a specific date, I can’t say which, but a lot will be decided.”
Some contract deadlines may coincide with this weekend’s Austrian GP, while others will occur during the race at Silverstone a week later.
“Silverstone is going to be crazy,” predicts Oliver Bearman, who is expected to be announced at Haas F1 for next year during his home race. “A lot is going to happen.”
Daniel Ricciardo, who has generally underperformed at the start of the season, admitted last weekend in Barcelona that he was nervous about his place in the Faenza team beyond 2024.
“It’s tough,” said the Australian, “because there isn’t just one thing behind a decision. There are so many. It can be very taxing.”
One such factor for Ricciardo is that if the Red Bull team owner cannot offer his reserve driver, 22-year-old Liam Lawson, a seat for 2025, he is free to sign elsewhere.
It’s no coincidence that rumors about Lawson’s talks with Sauber, owned by Audi, have suddenly emerged.
But Red Bull team consultant Dr. Helmut Marko has now indicated that Lawson will indeed be Yuki Tsunoda’s teammate at RB F1 next year—replacing Ricciardo.
“The shareholders have made it known that this is a junior team and we must act accordingly,” he stated today ahead of the team’s Grand Prix in Austria.
“The aim with Daniel was that he would be considered by Red Bull Racing with exceptional performances. That seat now belongs to Sergio Perez, so that plan is no longer viable.”
As for the RB F1 team, Marko added: “We need to place a young driver there soon. It will be Liam Lawson.”
Marko also expressed concerns about the major upgrade introduced by RB F1 in Barcelona.
“They had a real performance crash with the car—it was a real degradation. They need to understand why quickly.”
Lawson Set as Ricciardo’s Successor for 2025. Lawson Set as Ricciardo’s Successor for 2025
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