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Fans are reacting to VCARB parting ways with Daniel Ricciardo as he will be replaced by Liam Lawson for the remainder of the season. The speculation of his early exit from the team had been the talk of the paddock for a while.
After his exit from McLaren at the end of the 2022 season, Red Bull Racing signed Ricciardo as its third driver. His services were soon required in its junior team RB (then called AlphaTauri) when he replaced Nyck de Vries mid-season in 2023. Since then, he has been racing for the team, partnering Yuki Tsunoda.
His performance was seemingly subpar this season compared to that of his teammate. In 18 rounds of the 2024 F1 season, Ricciardo only finished thrice in the points. Meanwhile, Tsunoda has managed to do so seven times and in better positions, gaining more points.
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As his replacement was confirmed and announced, fans slammed F1 and VCARB for not giving Ricciardo a "proper send-off." A user also claimed that the situation wasn't handled well and is "embarrassing" for Red Bull.
"This was handled disgracefully, very embarrassing for the Red Bull brand"
"Worst send-off ever.. I remember him when he was faster than Vettel. Good player," a fan wrote.
"Daniel Ricciardo deserves a better ending to his F1 career!! I'm broken now," a user claimed.
Some fans also pointed out that the announcement could have been made early because it was seemingly known by the entire paddock that Daniel Ricciardo would be replaced soon.
"Now it is official, the worst kept secret in ages.
"Pretending to be surprised 😄," a fan said.
"He fought a good fight," another fan said.
Liam Lawson to replace Daniel Ricciardo at VCARB for rest of the season
The 22-year-old Liam Lawson will replace Ricciardo for the remaining six races of the 2024 F1 season. This is not the first time that he will be driving in Ricciardo's seat, however. The Australian suffered from an injury during a practice session of the 2023 Dutch GP. Lawson took part in five races and finished in points once with a P9 in Singapore.
VCARB team principal Laurent Mekies said it would be a "natural transition" for Lawson as he has prior experience with the team.
“I’d also like to take this opportunity to welcome Liam. He already knows the Team well. He drove for us last season, and coped well under difficult circumstances, so it’ll be a natural transition. It’s great to see young talent from within the Red Bull family make the next step. We’re looking forward to getting our heads down and focusing on the rest of the season together.”
He added that Daniel Ricciardo "will be missed."
"Everyone here at VCARB would like to thank Daniel for his hard work across the last two seasons with us. He 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. Daniel 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."
It currently seems unlikely that Daniel Ricciardo will have a seat for the 2025 season. Although Sauber might have an opening for him as Valtteri Bottas' future is not finalized with the team. However, the situation is tough to assess.
