Daniel Ricciardo’s F1 career seems to have ended after the news that Liam Lawson will take his place at Racing Bulls for the remainder of the 2024 Formula One season. The Australian returned to Red Bull last season, securing an extension in F1 with what was then Alpha Tauri, midway through the season.
However, Daniel Ricciardo did not convince Red Bull with his performances, and after the recent Singapore Grand Prix, he was replaced by Liam Lawson for the final six races of the season.
Although the decision was only made official recently, according to Anthony Davidson, former F1 driver, Daniel Ricciardo’s position had already weakened during last season. After just two races into his return to F1, the Australian driver was involved in an accident at Zandvoort, where he suffered a metacarpal fracture that kept him out of the competition for five races.
Anthony Davidson emphasized that the opportunity given to Liam Lawson during that time frame allowed him to put pressure on Red Bull for an official seat.
“I think the crash at Zandvoort last year, at turn 3, you know… any driver would kick themselves after any incident, no matter how much they get away with it,” Anthony Davidson said in an interview for the Sky F1 podcast – “I think that moment was really crucial for Ricciardo’s future in the team and for his presence in F1 as a whole,” the Sky Sports analyst continued. “It gave a hungry young driver the chance to get behind the wheel. As we’ve seen with Franco Colapinto, give these young drivers a chance, and in desperation, they make it, and my God, it’s fun to watch them.”
“That’s exactly what happened with Lawson! Since then, he’s probably been pestering Helmut Marko: ‘See the job I did? I can do better. Put me back in the car, or I’m leaving!’” Davidson speculated.
SAUBER’S INTEREST IN LAWSON AND THE ROLE IT PLAYED IN RED BULL’S DECISION
There were rumors of Sauber’s interest in Liam Lawson if Red Bull did not offer the New Zealander a spot on one of its teams.
For Anthony Davidson, the fear of losing Liam Lawson to an F1 rival played a significant role in Daniel Ricciardo’s replacement. The possibility of strengthening Sauber while simultaneously losing one of the best prospects in their Academy would have pushed Red Bull to make the (now well-known) decision.
“I believe that if they hadn’t sidelined Ricciardo to make room, they would have lost Lawson!” added the former driver.
“They would have lost Lawson to another team, maybe Audi. Who knows? Someone, somewhere, had to make a move. And I think Red Bull realized that. It’s a brutal sport. Who is the future? Is it Ricciardo, or is it Lawson? Well, unfortunately for Ricciardo, Lawson is younger: so, it’s just a numbers game,” concluded Anthony Davidson, convinced that the domino effect had already been set in motion last year, ultimately leading to Daniel Ricciardo’s exit from F1.
Leave a Reply