Daniel Ricciardo and Liam Lawson told ‘decision’s been made’ on their RB futures before Baku

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The return of Formula 1 racing at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix also sees a return to the discussion of the finalising of the grid for next season.

Almost every piece of business has already been done with Sauber and RB the final teams still waiting to make their final decisions on their line-ups.

Both teams are in very different positions, with Sauber seemingly having their choice of every available driver left on the grid, off the grid and racing in the junior formulas.

Helmut Marko and senior RB staff will be looking within and that leaves them with just two standout candidates.

The first is the eight-time F1 race winner and incumbent Daniel Ricciardo.

The Australian hasn’t had the best campaign and currently trails teammate Yuki Tsunoda – who is signed up for 2025 – in the Drivers’ Championship.

RB’s alternative is reserve driver Liam Lawson and speaking on the Pit Talk Podcast, journalist Mat Coch believes that the result of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix may not matter when it comes to Ricciardo’s future.

READ MORE: Who is Red Bull reserve driver Liam Lawson? Everything you need to know

Red Bull face the prospect of losing Lawson very soon should they not offer him a full-time race seat.

A clause inserted in Lawson’s contract after his successful cameo deputised for Ricciardo last year has left the team in a very awkward spot.

Ted Kravitz believes Ricciardo’s time might be up and it’s hard to disagree based on what Coch has to say.

Daniel Ricciardo and Liam Lawson decision has been made ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Looking ahead to the race in Baku and Ricciardo’s immediate and long-term future, Coch said: “The new floor that Yuki Tsunoda used in Monza which appears to be worse than the old floor, which is a concern because that floor which was the worse than the old floor, replaces the previous new floor that was worse than the old floor.

“So you sort of see where we’re going here in terms of RB upgrades, there seems to be a correlation issue.

“Daniel hasn’t driven that new floor yet, he wants to test it in a session and then work out what happens.

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“In terms of the importance of the next weekend, I actually argue that they’re not that important, the decision’s been made.

“And I say that because I know Liam Lawson’s contract clause is September 15^th, so a decision’s basically been made.”

Red Bull could offer Ricciardo one final Formula 1 lifeline

It appears as though F1 could be welcoming a fourth rookie onto the grid in 2025 at RB with Lawson stepping up into a full-time race seat for the first time.

The young Kiwi has a slight advantage over Kimi Antonelli, Oliver Bearman and Jack Doohan given he’s already got five Grand Prix starts under his belt but based on current form, he’ll be having plenty of close battles with the latter two drivers next year.

READ MORE: Visa Cash App RB driver Daniel Ricciardo’s life outside F1 from net worth to girlfriend

However, Ricciardo is still on a shortlist for a potential Red Bull race seat in 2025 alongside F2 championship leader Isack Hadjar with Sergio Perez’s future also far from certain.

The Mexican was offered a stay of execution over the summer break but his poor performances are likely to cost Red Bull the Constructors’ Championship at this rate.

Ricciardo’s dream is to end his F1 career with Red Bull although whether he’s up to the task of matching – or at getting close to – Max Verstappen is another matter.

The 35-year-old is an extremely popular driver but his F1 future is more unclear than ever.