Red Bull have now triggered contract clause that could spell the end of Daniel Ricciardo’s F1 career

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Daniel Ricciardo’s scoreless run stretched to three races at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Ricciardo came home in 13th, as he did at Monza, amid the ongoing uncertainty around his future.

Ricciardo has now scored just one point in the last six events, and even then he was 11th on the road at Spa before George Russell was disqualified. He’s only made it to Q3 once in that run as well.

In the Australian’s defence, teammate Yuki Tsunoda hasn’t fared much better. But his lack of headline results could nonetheless be hurting his prospects for next year.

Ricciardo has been in a truly remarkable situation since the summer. He’s simultaneously competed for a Red Bull seat and fought to keep his spot at junior team RB.

Sergio Perez still hasn’t convinced Red Bull to honour his new two-year contract. The Mexican has somewhat improved following the summer break but a late collision with Carlos Sainz in Baku denied him a first podium since China.

Christian Horner has also considered Liam Lawson as an alternative to Perez. And F2 championship contender Isack Hadjar will be pushing for a seat too.

Red Bull have formally promised Liam Lawson F1 seat in blow to Daniel Ricciardo

According to Formu1a.uno, Red Bull have now triggered a vital clause in Lawson’s contract. They had until mid-September to make a decision on his future, and that deadline passed during the Azerbaijan GP weekend.

Red Bull have now formally put a ‘future F1 race programme’ in place for Lawson. Had they failed to do so, he was free to join another team.

They were aware of interest in the 22-year-old after an enquiry from Williams boss James Vowles. Vowles wanted Lawson to replace Logan Sargeant from Italy onwards.

Sauber have also shown an interest in the New Zealander as they seek a teammate for Nico Hulkenberg. But his future lies at Red Bull, which has increasingly looked like the direction of travel in recent weeks.

What Ted Kravitz is hearing about Daniel Ricciardo vs Liam Lawson

If Lawson is guaranteed a seat, then that could be it for Ricciardo’s F1 career. Even if the plan is to place him at RB alongside Tsunoda, it’s hard to see Red Bull axing Perez for another driver who’s failed to convince in 2024.

Ricciardo’s only hope at this point, it would seem, is Lawson jumping straight to the top team. He could still come under pressure from Hadjar – Helmut Marko wants RB to be a junior team again – but he should be able to fend him off.

Ted Kravitz has heard that Red Bull will announce their decision post-Singapore. He believes Lawson is in line to partner Tsunoda.

There’s still another seat available, but previous reports have suggested that Ricciardo has ‘no chance’ of joining Audi. For the second time in three seasons, the eight-time race-winner could be out of options.