Liam Lawson to replace Daniel Ricciardo at RB for rest of F1 season
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RB's Daniel Ricciardo posing for a wefie with a fan ahead of practice at the Sept 20-22 Singapore Grand Prix.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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LONDON – New Zealander Liam Lawson will replace Australian Daniel Ricciardo for the remaining six races of the Formula One season, starting with the Oct 18-20 US Grand Prix in Austin, the Red Bull-owned RB team said on Sept 26.
Lawson, 22, has been Red Bull reserve since 2022 and filled in for Ricciardo at five races last season when the eight-time grand prix winner was injured.
“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,” said RB team boss Laurent Mekies in a statement.
“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.”
Italy-based RB had initially posted a ‘thank you’ message on social media.
Ricciardo, 35, said separately on social media: “I’ve loved this sport my whole life. It’s wild and wonderful and been a journey.
“To the teams and individuals that have played their part, thank you. To the fans who love the sport sometimes more than me haha thank you. It’ll always have its highs and lows but it’s been fun and truth be told I wouldn’t change it.
“Until the next adventure.”
Talk of Ricciardo’s departure was already swirling at last weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix, where he finished 18th, but not before recording a fastest lap.
He had struggled this season, scoring only 12 points to sit 14th in the drivers’ standings, 10 points behind 12th-placed teammate Yuki Tsunoda.
His departure all but marks the end of a 14-year F1 stint, in which he had turned out for HRT, Toro Rosso, Red Bull, Renault, McLaren and AlphaTauri (now renamed RB).
In Singapore, he had admitted that maybe his future lies elsewhere, saying: “I know I’m still a competitor. I know I still have a lot of fire in me, but maybe that itch is scratched doing something else. I don’t know. We’ll see.
“It’s hard, like even talking about, just being in the sport and fighting for maybe a 10th place every now and then.” REUTERS
