The only thing missing from the change in progress at Racing Bulls was the official announcement, and this arrived today. The Faenza team announced the replacement of Daniel Ricciardo with Liam Lawson.
The New Zealander, born in 2002, will be a regular driver for Racing Bulls alongside Yuki Tsunoda starting from the next event, the United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.
A paradoxical situation, with Ricciardo finding himself deprived of his seat on one of the tracks he considers among his favorites and his second home. But the Red Bull environment has always been known for drastic choices and, even in this case, it did not disappoint.
The Australian is paying not so much for his results this season – although he still ended his adventure with 10 points less than Tsunoda – but for several other factors. First of all, he was not able to give the impression of being the Daniel Ricciardo of his time at Red Bull and the following one, at Renault.
Daniel Ricciardo, Visa Cash App RB F1 Team, in the paddock
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
After the bad spell at McLaren, Ricciardo has not shown any signs of recovery except in that famous test last year, at Silverstone, where at the wheel of a Red Bull he once again made Christian Horner’s eyes shine, who decided to give him a second chance, but in the B team, Racing Bulls, precisely.
There is also another very important sliding door that had a significant impact on the economy of his dismissal. We are talking about a missed dismissal, that of Sergio Perez, who after the Belgian Grand Prix seemed destined to leave Milton Keynes with Ricciardo ready to take over. Not only did nothing come of it, but that choice then led the Red Bull top brass to put Liam Lawson in the car.
“I’ve always loved this sport. It’s wild and wonderful and it’s been a journey. To the teams and individuals who have been a part of it, thank you. To the fans who love this sport, sometimes more than me, thank you. There will always be ups and downs, but it’s been fun and, honestly, I wouldn’t change it. On to the next adventure,” Ricciardo said.
Racing Bulls team principal Laurent Mekies said: “Everyone at Racing Bulls would like to thank Daniel for his hard work over the last 2 years with us. He has brought so much experience and talent to the team, with a fantastic attitude, which has helped everyone develop the team’s fighting spirit.”
“Daniel was a true gentleman, both on and off the track, and he never failed to have that smile. We will miss him, but he will always have a special place in the Red Bull family”
The New Zealand driver thus returns to the car a year after the last time, when he was called by the Italian-Austrian team to replace Daniel Ricciardo, injured in Zandvoort. 12 months ago it was a temporary change, but a sort of dress rehearsal for the definitive one, which became official today.
Lawson, therefore, will take Ricciardo’s place at Racing Bulls until the end of the season, but it has not been made official that he will also be a starter next season with the Faenza team, although his contract stipulates that he should be in the starting eleven in 2025. Now Ricciardo will try to understand which path to take for his future which, barring sensational twists, will be far from the world championship.
“I would also like to have the opportunity to welcome Liam. He already knows the team well, he raced for us last season and did well even in difficult circumstances. So it will be a natural transition.”
“It’s really great to see young talents from the Red Bull family taking the final big step. We can’t wait to put our heads down and focus on the rest of the season together,” said Mekies of Lawson’s arrival in Faenza as a race driver.
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