Daniel Ricciardo may have to pull up his socks, but the Australian is in no danger of losing his seat to Liam Lawson anytime soon.
Just three races into the 2024 F1 season, rumors are already starting to emerge that Daniel Ricciardo's seat is in jeopardy after a difficult start to the year.
Rumors of Daniel Ricciardo's successor emerge
Ricciardo went into 2024 knowing he would be under intense scrutiny this year after the Woking-based team bought out his contract with McLaren at the end of 2022 in order to change drivers.
Ricciardo found refuge as a reserve driver for Red Bull's two teams and was offered an offer to replace the underperforming Nic de Vries after testing well on Pirelli tires on Red Bull's RB19 in the middle of last year. .
Red Bull took time to confirm drivers for their newly renamed RB sister team (formerly AlphaTauri), and with Liam Lawson ultimately unavailable, Yuki Tsunoda and Ricciardo were named. .
Lawson was drafted as a five-race replacement while Ricciardo was out with an injury and impressed with his mature drive and a hard-fought 9th place in Singapore, but has now emerged as a winger and RB and in Argentina. I have to wait for the opportunity to do so. Red Bull.
According to reports in New Zealand, that chance could come very soon, possibly even around the time of the Miami Grand Prix.of herald Ricciardo suggested he had received an ultimatum from Red Bull's Helmut Marko that Lawson could be given the car for the rest of the season if immediate improvements were not made.
However, PlanetF1.com understands that suggestions that Ricciardo is at risk of losing his seat anytime soon are premature. Although the Australian driver has been given short notice instructions, there is no intention to replace him in the seat.
Lawson's own management has also said Lawson has not been informed of any such move by Red Bull and the Kiwi driver has not been in contact with the media or commented on a possible move to Ricciardo's seat. He came forward.
However, Lawson remains hopeful of a full-time seat as a reserve driver.
Rumors of a move in time for Miami have been quashed, but that doesn't rule out the possibility of such a sensational switch as the year progresses. Lawson only missed out on the RB team by a narrow margin, and is praised by Marco, who is known for it.
Liam Lawson is 'absolutely' ready to replace Daniel Ricciardo
Ricciardo had already been given a fast track by Marko after a difficult first two races, but in Australia he missed out on qualifying for Q1 after exceeding the track limit with his fastest lap. Although he performed well in the Grand Prix and finished 12th, Tsunoda returned home in 8th place, but was promoted to 7th due to Fernando Alonso's time penalty.
Heading to Australia, Marko tried to take fire to the RB driver, saying that he was “too slow” in the race.
“There’s a lot at stake. [Tsunoda and Ricciardo]. They both might want a Red Bull seat and one should be far ahead of the other,” Marko told Sky Germany.
“Ricciardo is a little behind at the moment. But let's say this: Tsunoda's qualifying speed is fine. But in the race they are both too slow.
“I think we had a chance of getting one point in each of the first two races. It’s very difficult to get points below the top five. [teams] And when you have a chance, you can't afford to make a mistake. ”
Marko also said Ricciardo needed to “come up with something quickly”, while Lawson himself said he was “absolutely” ready to return to F1 if the opportunity presented itself, and said he was prepared to replace Ricciardo immediately. He told FOX Sports that there is.
“I think Daniel knows he has potential, but I think he's probably expected to take it even further,” he said.
Lawson's latest comments come in the new series of Netflix's widely acclaimed F1 documentary series Drive to Survive, in which his real reaction to being denied a permanent F1 seat in 2024 is revealed. It was announced after.
Lawson was informed of the news by Red Bull team principal Christian Horner and was caught aiming at Tsunoda, who had comfortably won the Singapore Grand Prix.
“I just beat a guy who saved me a seat,” Lawson said. “It was supposed to be me.”
Recommended by PlanetF1.com
All of Red Bull's mid-season driver changes in F1 history
2025 F1 driver line-up: Who is already confirmed for the 2025 grid?
Daniel Ricciardo: I believe I can do it
As for Ricciardo himself, he headed to Australia, dismissively saying he felt he had something to prove, following comments from 1980 F1 world champion Alan Jones suggesting his compatriot was better than the best. , eight-time Grand Prix winner, Ricciardo believes he still has what it takes. He needs to be a top-level driver.
“I absolutely believe we can do it,” he stressed.
“This is probably going to be a two-step process. Obviously I'm diving into the data and even looking at things like driving technique and thinking, 'Why am I doing this?' I think. Is it because I feel it? Then you can respond, you can relate it to the data, you can talk to the engineer while you're doing something, you can ask questions. Why does it bring me these feelings?
“I can’t say I’m panicking because I’m certainly asking them a lot of questions and obviously I’m asking myself a lot of questions.
“I wish the season had started better, but we just have to keep digging. I don’t think the car has changed much from last year either.
“Obviously it's a little bit of an update, but the features and everything are very similar. So I think there's a certain level of confidence.
“It's not like I changed everything and suddenly this car suits Yuuki, but it doesn't suit me anymore.I don't think that will ever happen.
“I think we'll find something. I thought it would be this weekend. Maybe there's a next time, and if it's not the next time, we'll keep going until it happens, and it will happen. .”
Read next: Lando Norris reacts to heckling from fans in paddock over unwanted F1 record