Daniel Ricciardo at centre of Red Bull axing reports amid development around F1 young gun
Reports suggest the Singapore Grand Prix will be Ricciardo's final drive with Red Bull.
Daniel Ricciardo will reportedly have his last race in a Visa Cash App Red Bull (VCARB) vehicle this weekend as reports emerged that the Formula One (F1) team have decided to replace him with youngster Liam Lawson. Ricciardo has struggled in 2024, with his results far from what the F1 juggernaut would have hoped for and Sky Sports F1 reports the team have finally run out of patience with the Aussie driver.
And Red Bull will reportedly axe the veteran driver following this weekend's Singapore Grand Prix. Ricciardo remains the only driver in the Red Bull stable without a contract for next season and chief adviser Helmut Marko has said Lawson will get his chance in 2025.
With just 12 points from his last 17 races, Ricciardo's results have been underwhelming this season. The Aussie began the season with high hopes of cracking back into Red Bull's top team, reclaiming the seat he once occupied. He was touted as Sergio Perez's replacement in the main team for 2025 but after being consistently outperformed by teammate Yuki Tsunoda - a man he was expected to outshine by a fair margin - not only will that not happen, he looks set to lose his seat to the young Kiwi.
Lawson has long been rumoured to have a clause in his contract that would allow him to move to another team if Red Bull didn't offer him a full-time contract by September. And with the team viewing the young Kiwi as the future of Red Bull, he was locked down by the team and now looks to get his opportunity at the cost of Ricciardo.
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Auto Racing 1 reported on Monday that the plan is for Ricciardo to be axed before the USGP, which begins on October 19. Red Bull chief adviser Marko told reporters and Sky Sports F1 analyst Ted Kravitz during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, that an announcement on the team will be made after Sunday night's Grand Prix on the Marina Bay street circuit.
Kravitz says Tsunoda will retain his seat, with the second Visa Cash App RB spot likely going to Lawson. World champion Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez will also keep their seats with the senior team next year.
"Sources tell us Australian Daniel Ricciardo will be dropped from the team and Yuki Tsunoda will remain to drive alongside Lawson," F1 journalist Mark Cipolloni reports. "Red Bull gave 35-year-old Ricciardo enough time to completely dominate Tsunoda, but he has not been able to, so it’s time to pull the plug."
Other motorsport outlets have also reported Lawson will be promoted before the end of the 2024 season. Outside of the second RB seat, only the future Audi team have an opening for the 2025 season. And Marko quashed speculation that Lawson would be allowed to slip through the net to another team, all but confirming that he will be replacing Ricciardo. “Next year he will definitely be driving one of our cars,” Marko told Austrian paper Kleine Zeitung.
