‘This is the end’… £105k-a-week driver may already know his time in Formula 1 is up

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Haas announcing the signing of Oliver Bearman on Thursday ahead of the British Grand Prix was brilliant news for home fans at Silverstone who will have an additional driver to support next season.

The 19-year-old has impressed during FP1 runouts for the team and rose to fame when he stepped in at the last minute for Carlos Sainz at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix to score six points for Ferrari.

However, it also signalled a key milestone in the Formula 1 driver’s market.

After a season where every driver retained their seat on the grid – something Eddie Jordan described as scandalous at the time – a rookie will be in F1 in 2025.

That naturally means that at least one current driver is going to miss out once all 20 seats are filled.

Speaking on the Inside The Piranha Club Podcast, journalists Rebecca Clancy and Ben Hunt were discussing the future of one driver who may already know they’re in trouble.

There are still six teams on the grid yet to confirm their complete line-ups and a handful of young drivers in contention to step up on a full-time basis.

One of those drivers is Liam Lawson at Visa Cash App RB and that could spell bad news for Daniel Riccardo.

Clancy and Hunt both believe that the £105,000-a-week driver may already know that his time is up at the team.

He’s reportedly been assured that a midseason swap isn’t on the cards, but the 2024 season could be the last time we see Ricciardo in a Red Bull-liveried car.

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

Daniel Ricciardo may already know his time at V-CARB is over

Talking about the 35-year-old’s future, Clancy said: “Daniel Ricciardo is apparently going to learn his future this summer, although I have a feeling he may already know it.”

Hunt added: “I agree, I think he does know it and I think this is the end. I think Liam Lawson is in next year in that seat.

“It’s a shame but Daniel’s just not been able to recapture the form that he used to have at Red Bull.”

Clancy replied: “That was ages ago!”

Hunt concluded: “It was and I will go back to this. I think that this was a bad decision when he left Red Bull for Renault.

“It was an instance where he may have gone to Mercedes, Ferrari were also linked and then he went to Renault and everyone went, ‘Wow, why are you going there?’”

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Visa Cash App RB F1 Team from team principal to Red Bull relationship

Why are Visa Cash App RB considering replacing Daniel Ricciardo?

When Ricciardo first replaced Nyck de Vries halfway through the 2023 season, it was clear that Red Bull hoped he would lift the team up the team standings and potentially put Sergio Perez under pressure who was beginning to underperform alongside Max Verstappen.

An unfortunately timed hand injury at the Dutch Grand Prix not only thwarted his momentum but handed Lawson an unlikely opportunity to step into the car.

Over the next five races, Lawson did enough to prove to a lot of people in the paddock that he deserved a race seat.

The Red Bull group didn’t agree, sticking with Ricciardo but essentially promising Lawson a drive for 2025 or a free pass to leave the team if they didn’t hold up their end of the bargain.

Ricciardo’s form this season has been good without being spectacular and it speaks volumes that Yuki Tsunoda’s deal has been extended into a fifth year while the Australian sweats over his future.

He’s already spoken about what he needs to do to avoid being replaced by Lawson, but there’s a suggestion now that the decision may have already been made and communicated to him.