Liam Lawson Opens Up On Daniel Ricciardo Relationship After His VCARB Ousting

Saajan Jogia | Oct 12, 2024

Jun 7, 2024; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; RB driver driver Daniel Ricciardo (AUS) in the pit lane during the practice session at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images / Eric Bolte-Imagn Images

VCARB's new driver, Liam Lawson, who replaced Daniel Ricciardo after his departure following the Singapore Grand Prix, has shared his thoughts on the Australian driver. Lawson, who worked closely with Ricciardo, mentioned that it never felt like they were in direct competition for the F1 seat.

Ricciardo rejoined the Red Bull family last year in the junior team AlphaTauri (now known as VCARB) to eventually secure a seat alongside Max Verstappen. Until then, he was to aid his team in scoring more points and mentor a less experienced Yuki Tsunoda. However, a wrist injury during the Dutch GP weekend saw him stay out for 5 race weekends.

Meanwhile, Lawson seized the opportunity as a reserve driver to secure points for the team and showcase his racing skills, putting him in contention for a future seat with either team. However, things got worse in 2024, as Ricciardo struggled with inconsistency throughout the season, often being outperformed by Tsunoda.

With Sergio Perez securing a mid-season contract extension at Red Bull, Ricciardo’s chances of landing a seat with his dream team dropped to zero. Meanwhile, with Lawson awaiting a full-time seat, the decision was made to replace Ricciardo after the Singapore GP. Despite both drivers competing for the same spot, the Kiwi had a surprisingly positive view of the 35-year-old. He told Racer:

“I knew that was going to [happen], obviously.

“I know the sort of public figure that Daniel is, and honestly, it’s because he’s just a great guy. And he was about the whole situation as well. With Daniel, throughout the whole year, or year and a half, that it’s been like this, he’s never made it feel like competition.

“It never felt like we’ve been in competition for the same thing, although I guess we have been. It never felt like that. So there’s a lot of things he could have not done, and said no to, that he hasn’t.

“He’s helped me, honestly, quite a lot over the last 12 months. And he was very good about the whole situation in Singapore, and I guess we both knew how it was going to be when when it all came, and in the media. And that’s honestly why I just hadn’t really been on my phone too much.

“It’s not something that fazes me too much. I’ve got quite a lot to focus on, obviously going into the last six races, and that’s honestly where my head’s been at. I don’t really have the capacity to do everything else.

“So I think it’ll become a lot more real going into next week, going into Austin, because so far … if I spent the day on my phone and I actively looked at everything that’s been posted, then it would probably feel a bit different. But I’ve been trying to avoid doing that.”

Lawson is set to make his official full-time F1 racing debut at the United States Grand Prix in Austin on October 21st.