Will Liam Lawson return to the F1 grid in 2025?
Recent comments from Red Bull senior advisor Dr Helmut Marko suggest that this is certainly the case, with veteran driver Daniel Ricciardo likely just watching from the outside.
Interview with Austrian media Kleine Zeitung Ahead of this weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix, Marko suggested the decision to go younger at Visa Cash App RB F1 Team may have come from above. [VCARB] “We’re a junior team and we have to act accordingly.” A Red Bull adviser said:.
This would likely mean Ricciardo drops out in 2025 and Lawson takes over.
“The goal was for Ricciardo to qualify for a return to Red Bull Racing with a great performance. That seat is now with Sergio Pérez, so that plan is gone. We need to bring in a young driver straight away,” Marko continued. “And that’s Liam Lawson.”
The comments come not only just days before the Austrian Grand Prix, but a week after Ricciardo himself suggested he wanted to “earn” a place in VCARB next season. Speaking at the FIA press conference in Barcelona ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix, Ricciardo said: “As I think I said before the Canadian weekend, of course I want to earn my place. Of course I want to be here because I know I should still be here and I know I can perform like I did last week, so it’s up to me to make sure I can continue that. If I do, I’ll be very happy to stay.”
However, the shareholder order mentioned by Marko, and a clause in Lawson’s contract allowing him to leave Red Bull to look for a seat elsewhere if he is unable to make the team, could give the organisation some leverage. With the 2025 driver line-up still to be decided and several vacancies on the grid, Lawson could be among the few potential candidates for next year if VCARB decides to keep Ricciardo.
If this is indeed the way Red Bull and VCARB go, what does it mean for Ricciardo? As mentioned above, the seat is still open for 2025 and Ricciardo is a marketable driver with a CV that includes Grand Prix wins and recent strong results with VCARB and AlphaTauri last season. If that’s not enough to keep him at VCARB, will it be enough for other teams to take a chance on him next year?
update: Now, more fuel has been added to the ‘Lawson to VCARB’ fire by long-time and respected F1 journalist Joe Saward suggesting Lawson could be the man to replace Ricciardo before the end of the season.
In fact, before the summer is over:
So Lawson will replace Ricciardo at some point, I think at the end of July…
— Joe Saward (@joesaward) June 26, 2024
You’ll see it soon.
