BREAKING: Lawson’s management respond to Daniel Ricciardo Visa Cash App RB swap rumours
The management team of Red Bull junior Liam Lawson have responded to rumours that he could replace Daniel Ricciardo at Visa Cash App RB.
Daniel Ricciardo has faced challenges in his return to the Red Bull junior team, raising questions about his future. Journalist Thomas Maher has relayed a brief response from Lawson’s camp regarding speculation that Red Bull might consider another driver change.
In the recent Australian Grand Prix, Ricciardo finished in 12th place while his teammate Yuki Tsunoda secured seventh place and earned six points. Ricciardo’s qualifying performance was hindered when his lap time was deleted due to running off the track during his final Q1 attempt. Tsunoda has consistently out-qualified Ricciardo in the first three rounds of the season.
Reports from Oceania suggest that Helmut Marko has given Ricciardo three races to show improvement, or risk losing his seat to Lawson. Ricciardo had replaced Nyck de Vries last season due to underperformance, but he sustained a hand injury during practice for the Dutch Grand Prix. Lawson then stepped in for the following five races, managing to secure a few points.
Liam Lawson team confused over latest Daniel Ricciardo story
Maher has reported that currently, there are “no plans” to swap Daniel Ricciardo and Liam Lawson, neither at the upcoming Miami Grand Prix nor later in the season. He also mentioned that Lawson’s own management team is perplexed as to the origin of the recent press speculation.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Maher stated, “Lawson’s own management team also have ‘no idea’ where this idea has come from – Lawson has not had any contact or comment to media regarding this story.”
Despite the rumors, Lawson has shown impressive performances, including outqualifying Yuki Tsunoda twice and out-racing him on two occasions. He notably bested world champion Max Verstappen in qualifying for the Singapore Grand Prix.
While Lawson finds himself in a challenging situation this year, Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies acknowledges the frustration. However, Red Bull’s Christian Horner has reassured Lawson that his time will come at the top level.
Will Ricciardo lose his seat at RB?
At the outset of the 2024 season, Daniel Ricciardo seemed like a sure bet to return to Red Bull next year as a replacement for Sergio Perez. However, the narrative has undergone a drastic shift in just three Grands Prix.
Heading into Melbourne, Ricciardo was determined to prove his detractors wrong, particularly after Australian F1 world champion Alan Jones suggested that his “best days” were behind him.
However, Channel 4 F1’s Alice Powell labeled his qualifying performance as an “absolute shocker,” while Sky Sports F1 commentator David Croft expressed disappointment, referring to it as a “massive disappointment.”
Expert Mark Hughes delved into Ricciardo’s lap times relative to his teammate and believes that something is “fundamentally wrong,” indicating a concerning trend in Ricciardo’s performance.