Red Bull advisor says Liam Lawson will join the team in the future, leaving Daniel Ricciardo’s F1 seat at risk

Red Bull advisor Dr Helmut Marko revealed that Daniel Ricciardo will be replaced by Liam Lawson on the RB team. Moreover, he stated that Ricciardo was brought to the team as an option for Red Bull in the future.

Ricciardo was signed by RB during the 2023 season to replace their rookie Nyck de Vries, whose performance was questionable and did not keep up with the team's expectations.

The Australian seemed to be an advantage for the team with his vast experience in the sport. He was also serving as Red Bull's reserve driver. Marko also mentioned that Daniel Ricciardo was a candidate for Red Bull as Max Verstappen's teammate when Sergio Perez could have been released from the team.

However, the Mexican recently signed a two-year extension. This not only meant that Ricciardo will not get that seat for two more years but also that his time with RB might be coming to an end.

Ricciardo's performance this season has been rather disappointing. He has had only one point finish in the ten main races he entered in 2024. As his form seems to fade, Red Bull's Helmut Marko revealed that he would be replaced by their junior driver Liam Lawson in the future.

As per RBR Daily on X, Marko said:

"The shareholders have made it known that it is a junior team and we have to act accordingly. The goal was that he [Ricciardo] would be considered for Red Bull with exceptional performances. That seat now belongs to Perez, so that plan is no longer valid. We will have to put a young driver in there soon. That would be Liam Lawson."

Notably, during the 2023 season, when RB was called AlphaTauri, Liam Lawson did replace Daniel Ricciardo, but only for five races.

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Will Liam Lawson be more competitive than Daniel Ricciardo?

The Australian had suffered a hand injury last year after crashing out during the practice session of the Dutch GP. Liam Lawson, competing in the Super Formula series at the time, was called in to replace Ricciardo as the reserve driver of the team.

Lawson finished P13 in his debut F1 race, followed by a P11 at Monza. He scored his first points in the following race at Singapore, a very challenging track, and then ended his stint with P11 and P17 finishes at Japan and Qatar, respectively.

Daniel Ricciardo, who took part in seven rounds that season, also had a single points finish (Mexico, P7). Other than that, his performance did not seem very effective despite being an experienced driver. Lawson meanwhile managed to finish the Super Formula Championship in second place, with only a small gap to the winner, Ritomo Miyata.

Statistically speaking, Lawson could bring the RB team a different perspective and might as well be a more competitive driver than Daniel Ricciardo in his current form. However, nothing can be said with certainty until he makes his debut as a full-time driver