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The United States Grand Prix will be the first Grand Prix of Liam Lawson’s six-race audition to earn a full-time Formula 1 seat for 2025.
Daniel Ricciardo was brought into the RB team after an impressive behind-the-scenes test in 2023 to replace Nyck de Vries after a poor start to his Formula 1 career.
Ricciardo was one of Christian Horner’s most trusted drivers and was immediately brought back into the fold at Red Bull after being let go by McLaren following a disappointing two-year spell with the team.
Red Bull have a habit of always having a driver on standby just to keep the pressure on the four drivers in the hot seats and once Ricciardo stepped up last year, Liam Lawson was that man.
He got his chance sooner than expected when the experienced Australian was injured at Zandvoort and his impressive cameo was enough to convince Red Bull that he should be held onto for a race seat in the future.
A clause in Lawson’s contract meant a decision had to be made in September and that meant the Singapore Grand Prix ended up being Ricciardo’s final race even if he wasn’t fully aware of that fact at the beginning of the weekend.
Writing in his column for the Formula 1 website, former Haas team principal Guenther Steiner has shared his thoughts on Ricciardo’s exit from the sport.
Ricciardo’s F1 career has undeniably been a success and had the circumstances been right, he could have been a world champion at his peak.
However, Steiner believes RB made a key error when hiring Ricciardo back again last year.
Instead, he believes that Red Bull should have immediately promoted Lawson and allowed him to race against Yuki Tsunoda for the entirety of this season.
Guenther Steiner highlights key mistake RB made when hiring Daniel Ricciardo last year
Talking about the Australian’s return to F1, Steiner said: “It was the same with Daniel when he replaced Nyck de Vries mid-season last year. He impressed them in the reserve role and then a Pirelli tyre test. It wasn’t 100% that he would be better, but the hope was there.
“It’s all about your gut instinct. Yes, you have the information, but in the end it’s down to the gut to make the decision.
“They put Daniel in instead of Nyck, but obviously it wasn’t the right choice as they took him out mid-season. Someone made a wrong decision there. They could have put Liam in then.
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“With hindsight, you know. I’m not trying to blame someone who made a bad decision. It’s just one of those things. It’s a gut feeling.
“At the time, I think they thought Daniel has won races and that he should have recovered from his years when he was unhappy at McLaren – but it didn’t work out like you think it works out. It’s one of those things.”
Guenther Steiner compares Liam Lawson to current F1 star
All eyes will be on Lawson when he jumps into the RB for his first competitive action of the season in Austin.
Ricciardo was struggling to score points every since the summer break, although that’s partly down to RB going in the wrong direction with their upgrades.
Even Tsunoda’s impressive recent qualifying performances haven’t been enough to earn him top-ten finishes with the likes of Williams and Haas making strides forward with their most recent upgrades.
Steiner has compared Lawson to Oscar Piastri and if he can emulate the young Australian’s success then he’s certainly going in the right direction.
Red Bull have no interest in promoting Tsunoda any time soon, meaning Lawson could end up taking Sergio Perez’s seat next year if his first six Grand Prix back on the grid go well.
Perez’s poor performances look set to lose Red Bull the Constructors’ Championship unless there’s a rapid improvement, and that loss of prize money and bonuses for staff won’t go down well in Milton Keynes.
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