F1 pundit feels Daniel Ricciardo could face an uphill battle with the 'next Sebastian Vettel' lurking at Red Bull academy

F1 pundit Eddie Jordan feels Daniel Ricciardo could face a tough challenge from Liam Lawson, dubbed the "next Sebastian Vettel," in upcoming seasons.

The Red Bull Academy driver has impressed everyone this season with his performances in the limited opportunities he's received. He did brilliantly in Zandvoort, was great in Monza, and recorded AlphaTauri's best result of the season in Singapore.

Lawson beat a more experienced driver in the same car in Yuki Tsunoda in Japan as well.

Despite all of this though, he does not have a seat in F1 for next season at the moment. Red Bull has announced that Daniel Ricciardo will be teaming up with Tsunoda in AlphaTauri next season, with Lawson being the reserve driver.

Former F1 team owner Eddie Jordan admitted that he was very impressed with the Kiwi and feels Ricciardo will have to be careful going forward. He said on the "Formula for Success" podcast:

"It’s an uphill battle. My guess is I’d love to see Lawson in it but, at the same time, Formula 1 does not need to lose characters and drivers of the ilk of Daniel.

"One part of me says put Lawson in the car – take the chance – because you have a chance of making another Vettel. It’s really difficult to see how Daniel is going to do that."

He added:

"However, AlphaTauri has now gone commercial with what they do and I don’t think you can get anyone better than Daniel to do that. Maybe that’s the solution – they should go for one year, put Lawson in as the test driver. Don’t lose Lawson, though, I think he is really good."

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Eddie Jordan on where Daniel Ricciardo could face a problem

Eddie Jordan felt that one area where Daniel Ricciardo could face a problem is with respect to finding his form.

The Australian is in the best shape possible for an F1 driver, but with AlphaTauri's car design possibly diverging from Red Bull's, his car might not be that good. This could make it hard for Ricciardo to stay motivated and do a good job in Jordan's opinion.

"Where Daniel has the problem, he is the people’s person. He’s got the best smile I’ve ever seen. He’s a lovely character. There’s not a nicer person in the world. He keeps himself in great, great shape. A better six-pack I don’t think I’ve ever seen. I mean, when you see him gone for a swim, it’s just ridiculous how fit he is," Jordan explained.

He added:

"But that doesn’t win you Grands Prix, and AlphaTauri, next year, I think that car… There seems to be a divergence, you know, the Red Bull car and that car, they’re not the same anymore or have less compatible items on each other’s car."

Daniel Ricciardo's future and the growth curve he wants to have will likely depend on what he can accomplish next season in the AlphaTauri alongside Yuki Tsunoda.