Daniel Ricciardo told what’s ‘especially tough’ for Liam Lawson ahead of RB seat swap

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Marina Bay may be Daniel Ricciardo’s farewell from Formula 1 as Visa Cash App RB are expected to drop the Australian after the Singapore Grand Prix and run Liam Lawson.

This season saw Ricciardo return to a full-time drive on the grid as AlphaTauri turned into RB with the goal of forcing his way back into the Red Bull garage. But a disappointing start to his year left the 35-year-old fighting for his seat and even an upturn in form may not be enough.

Expectations are rife that Lawson will replace Ricciardo at RB after the Singapore GP and see out the rest of 2024. The 22-year-old would then have the remaining six Grand Prix plus two Sprint events to convince Red Bull that he deserves a drive for Visa Cash App RB next year.

Daniel Ricciardo faces the same fate Liam Lawson suffered by missing out on the 2024 Visa Cash App RB seat

Just RB and Sauber are still to confirm their driver line-ups for the 2025 Formula 1 season as Red Bull and Audi weigh up every option. Visa Cash App RB confirmed that Yuki Tsunoda will stay in Faenza for a fifth season this June after taking up a one-year option with his contract.

It is a straight shootout between Ricciardo and Lawson for the second RB seat, with Red Bull keen to see how the latter fares in a 2024-spec VCARB-01 before deciding if the former’s F1 career is over. Lawson should get his 2024 season RB debut in the United States Grand Prix.

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

Three-time W Series champion Jamie Chadwick thinks it is ‘tough’ for Ricciardo that Red Bull are to swap him out and give Lawson the rest of the season at RB. But she also admits it was hard for the Kiwi to not get the seat all season after impressing as a stand-in driver last year.

“It is a cutthroat business,” Chadwick said on Sky Sports F1 (20/9, 10:33). “I think you could argue it is especially tough on [Ricciardo]. But you could also argue it is especially tough on Liam. He sat in this car last year, did a stellar job and then was left without a seat.”

Liam Lawson faces a baptism of fire to secure the 2025 Visa Cash App RB seat

Lawson has spent the last two seasons as a reserve driver at Red Bull and Visa Cash App RB as he waits for a chance to become a full-time Formula 1 driver. His stint on the sidelines led the New Zealander to enjoy five rounds last year when Ricciardo broke a hand at Zandvoort.

The Singapore GP in 2023 was also Lawson’s calling card to merit a full-time seat for 2024, which eventually went Ricciardo’s way. After being the only Red Bull family driver to get into Q3, Lawson scored his first points in F1 with a P9 finish around Marina Bay’s difficult streets.

READ MORE: Five unforgettable Singapore GP from Crashgate to Ferrari vs Max Verstappen

Now, Red Bull have chosen to use the three-week break after the 2024 Singapore GP to drop Ricciardo and see Lawson do the United States GP, Mexico City Grand Prix, Sao Paulo Grand Prix, Las Vegas Grand Prix, Qatar Grand Prix and Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at Visa Cash App RB.

It is a bit of a baptism of fire for Lawson to prove he deserves a 2025 RB seat over Ricciardo. The Kiwi has not raced at COTA, Interlagos, Las Vegas or Yas Marina in a Formula 1 car so far but drove at Lusail last year for AlphaTauri, finishing in P17 with Tsunoda right ahead in P15.

The 2023 Qatar Grand Prix was also a Sprint weekend, in which Lawson spun off on the first lap. A lack of downforce on his front wing tucked in behind the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton saw Lawson spin into the Turn 2 gravel when the rear of his AT04 stepped out while braking.