"He will be missed": When RB chief Laurent Mekies paid tribute to the 'true gentleman' Daniel Ricciardo who lost his seat to Liam Lawson

Racing Bull team principal Laurent Mekies once paid tribute to Daniel Ricciardo after Liam Lawson replaced him in the team last year. The latter was then promoted to Red Bull for the 2025 season, replacing Sergio Perez.

Daniel Ricciardo had been a part of the Red Bull Racing family for a long time, having served as their driver and then a reserve, followed by another full-time driver role at their junior team. He drove for the Racing Bulls in 2024, but his performance was under question, and was replaced by Liam Lawson after the race in Singapore.

He had quite an emotional farewell after the race ended. He gained immense support from fans and his co-drivers, and the team's officials.

"Daniel has brought a lot of experience and talent to the team with a fantastic attitude, which has helped everyone to develop and foster a tight team spirit," Laurent Mekies, RB team boss, said at the time (via BBC Sport).

Mekies also mentioned that Ricciardo would be missed within the team, considering the time he spent as a part of the Red Bull family:

"He has been a true gentleman both on and off the track and never without that smile. He will be missed, but will always hold a special place within the Red Bull family."

After the season ended, Lawson replaced Sergio Perez at Red Bull Racing. However, his future seems under question shortly into the season.

---

Red Bull to reportedly replace Liam Lawson with Yuki Tsunoda

After Red Bull announced Lawson's move to the team, it was largely criticized, considering the experience that Tsunoda gained over the years and his performance at Racing Bulls. At the same time, however, Lawson looked promising as he was almost performing at level with his teammate at Racing Bulls.

After the first two races of the 2025 F1 season, reports have emerged suggesting that Lawson could be demoted back to VCARB, meanwhile, Tsunoda would move to Red Bull Racing before heading into Japan. This is primarily because of the subpar performance that Liam Lawson has showcased in the season's opening races. He hasn't scored a single point and qualified at the back of the grid during both races.

Yuki Tsunoda is expected to be a strong candidate since he has much more experience than Liam Lawson and has also been performing better than him in Racing Bulls in the season so far. While the team has not confirmed anything officially yet, the announcement is expected before the Japanese Grand Prix.