Will the third man benefit while the others fight? For months, there has been much talk of a possible return of Daniel Ricciardo to Red Bull, with the Australian being confirmed at AlphaTauri midway through the 2023 Formula 1 season, as a preparatory step toward joining Max Verstappen next championship.
At one point during the season, this scenario seemed close to becoming a reality, especially after Sergio Perez delivered yet another disappointing performance at the Spa GP, which appeared to bring him to the brink of being fired.
In Formula 1, however, things change quickly, and Daniel Ricciardo learned this the hard way. The Australian, too, didn’t particularly shine in terms of results and performance in 2024, ultimately being forced to hang up his helmet prematurely after the Singapore Grand Prix at the Marina Bay street circuit. With the second Red Bull seat now free, Liam Lawson got the big chance to return to Formula 1 as an official driver.
The New Zealander, back to racing after a year off, immediately showcased veteran driving skills, securing a fantastic ninth-place finish in Austin after a comeback.
A secured future at Red Bull?
For Christijan Albers, speaking about the Red Bull driver shuffle to *De Telegraaf*, the 22-year-old from Hastings already has a seat guaranteed alongside Max Verstappen in 2025: “Perez still doesn’t know how to build a weekend. He constantly focuses on Max, driving himself crazy. Then I look at a driver like Lawson, who is hungry, and I know for certain that he will drive next to Max next year. If that doesn’t happen, then I will call everyone at Red Bull crazy.” – he pointed out.
“There are still five races to go, and sometimes it can happen that a driver falters. But if it were up to me, it would be certain. If he now started crashing into everything and doing idiotic things for five races, then I might have doubts. But if you look at how he’s performing now as the underdog, I think it’s very promising. He needs to keep looking at the data, keep performing, consult well, and see what Yuki Tsunoda is doing.” – the former Formula 1 driver concluded.
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