On Thursday, after several days of intense speculation, and amid heavy criticism from fans and pundits alike, Visa Cash App RB Formula One Team (VCARB or RB) formally announced that eight-time race Grand Prix winner, Daniel Ricciardo would be leaving the team with immediate effect. Minutes later, a subsequent media release confirmed that Ricciardo would be replaced by junior driver Liam Lawson for the remainder of the 2024 Formula 1 season.
While there had been much uncertainty over whether the Faenza-based team would indeed replace fan-favourite Ricciardo, especially ahead of the United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas, it has emerged that Lawson himself was aware of RB’s decision for about two weeks – a direct contradiction of RB team principal Laurent Mekies’ claim during the Singapore Grand Prix that there had been “nothing decided so far.”
Pit Debrief learned of Lawson getting the drive from COTA onwards during the Baku weekend, confirming the timeline Lawson gave.
Following RB’s announcement, the 22-year-old told the New Zealand Herald that he had known about RB’s decision to replace Ricciardo for “the last, probably, two weeks” but had been unable to tell anyone.
“It now finally does feel real, obviously, I knew about it for the last, probably, two weeks, but until it’s out there to the world, it obviously doesn’t ever really feel set in stone.
“I couldn’t tell anyone.”
The Kiwi, who impressed during his brief five-race stint with the then-AlphaTauri in 2023 as a substitute for an injured Ricciardo, confirmed that his promotion to RB “had been the plan for a long time.” He claimed this was due to contract obligations between himself and Red Bull – the Austrian owners of both Red Bull Racing and RB.
“It had been the plan for a long time now, where this was where I was leading.
“Obviously I had a contract date that needed to be fulfilled so basically it was going towards this way, and then a couple of weeks ago they told me this is what was going to happen. And then basically not long after that, it was set in stone.”
While Lawson himself did not specify the specific details of these supposed obligations, the New Zealand Herald claims that Lawson’s most recent contract with the Austrian conglomerate – signed in 2023 – required that he be offered a seat in either Red Bull Racing or RB by 15 September 2024, or be made a free agent.
Lawson, who learned that he would not have a full-time seat with RB for the 2024 F1 season at the 2023 Singapore GP, also admitted that his knowledge of both his and Ricciardo’s future ahead of the 2024 Singapore GP had made for an uncomfortable weekend, especially due to the support that Ricciardo has shown him in both 2023 and 2024.
“Singapore was definitely not an enjoyable weekend for me just because obviously we all knew what was coming.
“At the same time, Daniel has always been very good to me in a lot of ways when I drove last year.
“Even this season, he’s always been somebody that I’ve never felt in competition with him or anything like that. He never made it feel like that.”
Despite his discomfort with the situation and its effect on Ricciardo, Lawson stated that he was grateful for the opportunity to drive in F1. He stated that he intended to “take [the opportunity] with both hands” and added that Ricciardo himself had advised him to “make the most of” the opportunity.
“So it wasn’t a nice feeling.
“But obviously this for me is, I get one shot at F1 and it’s come now and I’m obviously grateful for that opportunity.
“But now I need to take it with both hands.
“And at the same time, he said the same thing to me and he said ‘you know you need to you need to make the most of it’.”
While Mekies, following Ricciardo’s P18 finish at the Singapore GP race, did eventually indicate that “this may have been Daniel’s last race” and Ricciardo himself tearfully acknowledged the potential end of his career, both stopped short of confirming the Australian’s departure from the team.
Lawson has since commended Ricciardo on his handling of the situation, stating that he had “a huge amount of respect for how he dealt with everything because I can’t really imagine that.”
He did, however, compare it to the situation that he had been in in 2023, where despite having outperformed teammate Yuki Tsunoda in four of his five races, he had been left without a seat once Ricciardo was able to return from injury. Reportedly, this was due to the contracts having already been finalised with Tsunoda and Ricciardo.
However, Lawson acknowledged that Ricciardo would have likely experienced more pressure than he had due to the latter’s more public profile and his popularity among fans of the sport.
“It’s a similar position I was in last year, but obviously the guy is just a lot more public, a lot more famous than I am. So, he’s getting a lot of questions and trying to sidestep those he did a very good job.”
While Lawson expressed happiness with his promotion to F1, he acknowledged that he had come in at “a difficult time” especially as he would be competing at tracks that he struggled at in the past.
However, he added that he was eager “to get to work” and acknowledged the continued support of his parents and other persons.
“Very happy but there’s six rounds left in the season. I’ve come in at a difficult time. It’s going to be very challenging.
“These guys have done three-quarters of a season and I have to compete with that now, at tracks I haven’t done as well. It’s going to be challenging.
“I’ve spoken to my parents and everyone that’s been behind me on this journey, it’s very special but we don’t have much time to let it sink in. We’ve got to get to work.”
While Lawson is expected to see out the 2024 season’s six remaining races, RB has yet to confirm his participation in F1 with them in 2025, and it is expected that the 22-year-old will be evaluated against teammate Tsunoda’s performances before Red Bull makes a final decision on his future with them.
Lawson himself admitted his awareness of this situation, stating that he would need to perform as well as he had in 2023 to maximise his chances for a seat for 2025 and potentially, onward.
“Basically I’ve got until end of this season and then I’ll find out more as the season goes on.
“I need to perform. I need to try my worth in F1 and do a similar job to what I did last year.
“That’s what gave me this shot. I just need to do it now to keep my seat for next year.”
