Daniel Ricciardo may have been wrong to hype up F1 youngster who’s had more crashes than points in 2025

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Four F1 drivers still haven’t scored a point with five races gone. And to make matters worse, all of their teammates are off the mark.

It’s a damning reflection of Aston Martin that two-time world champion Fernando Alonso isn’t on the board. Alonso is renowned for his ability to extract every ounce of performance, but he’s gone out in Q2 at every race so far.

While Lance Stroll has picked up 10 points, eight of these were in a chaotic and wet Australian GP, and the other two stemmed from a trio of disqualifications in China. There are also mitigating circumstances for F2 champion Gabriel Bortoleto – Nico Hulkenberg’s P7 in Melbourne was hardly representative.

Sauber are the slowest team in F1, so Bortoleto won’t be judged too harshly even if he remains in 20th and last place. However, the pressure is on for Jack Doohan, particularly after Pierre Gasly’s eye-catching seventh in Bahrain.

The F1 paddock still believes that Franco Colapinto will replace Doohan at Alpine at some point this year. The final member of the quartet is Liam Lawson, who’s already been demoted from Red Bull.

Daniel Ricciardo said Liam Lawson deserved an F1 seat – he still hasn’t proved it

Red Bull’s decision to drop Lawson after just two races was as brutal as it was humiliating. Many felt he deserved more time.

Replacement Yuki Tsunoda has admitted that the car is difficult to drive. But while he isn’t challenging Max Verstappen, the Japanese driver has at least made Q3 twice and scored points.

Lawson, on the other hand, didn’t start a race higher than 19th for the six-time world champions. After crashing out in Australia, he was 14th and 12th in the two Shanghai races.

Max Verstappen thought Lawson would be better off at Racing Bulls, but he continues to struggle. He qualified six places behind Isack Hadjar in Japan and five behind in Bahrain.

And though he outpaced the Frenchman on Saturday in Jeddah, Hadjar scored a point in the race as Lawson slipped to 12th after a 10-second penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage in a battle with Doohan.

Speaking last summer, Daniel Ricciardo honourably endorsed Lawson for an F1 seat, even though it put his own career under threat.

Ricciardo said, via The Mirror: “He got to drive the car last year and he did a great job, and I do think he is worthy of a seat on the grid, so if he is guaranteed a seat on the grid next year, that is good because he is a deserving driver.”

Unfortunately, in his first season as a full-time driver, Lawson has yet to prove he’s ‘deserving’. The bottom line is that he’s been the poorest performer on the grid this year relative to his car’s capabilities.

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The mitigating factor for Lawson is that his confidence will surely be damaged. He may need time to regain top form and he showed signs of promise in Jeddah.

Hadjar says Lawson is ‘getting stronger’, even if he passed him in the race. It’s crucial that the New Zealander improves because F2 driver Arvid Lindblad is applying pressure.

In a recent interview, F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali said Lawson should be protected. He needs ‘support’ after his dream move went in an unthinkable direction.

This could be read as a veiled dig at Christian Horner’s team. Internally, Red Bull doubt Lawson will return after senior figures expressed alarm over his state of mind.