RB replaces Ricciardo with Lawson for the rest of F1 2024

The RB Formula 1 team has officially confirmed that Liam Lawson will replace Daniel Ricciardo for the remainder of the 2024 season.

Lawson will take part in the United States Grand Prix next month and will compete in the remaining six Grands Prix alongside Yuki Tsunoda.

Already on Thursday, Red Bull and its sister team had paid tribute to Ricciardo's 14-year F1 career on their social media accounts before confirming the widely expected news that Lawson will return to the RB cockpit for the remainder of the season.

“Everyone here at VCARB would like to thank Daniel for his hard work with us over the last two seasons,” said RB team boss Laurent Mekies. “He brought a lot of experience and talent to the team and a fantastic attitude that helped everyone to develop and foster a strong team spirit.”

“Daniel was a true gentleman both on and off the track and always had a smile on his face. We will miss him, but he will always hold a special place in the Red Bull family.”

“I would also like to take this opportunity to welcome Liam. He already knows the team well. He drove for us last season and did well in difficult circumstances, so it will be a natural transition.

Liam Lawson, RB F1 Team

Photo by: Davide Cavazza

“It's great to see young talent from the Red Bull family taking the next step. We look forward to focusing on competing together for the rest of the season.”

In the announcement, Lawson was only confirmed for the remaining six Grands Prix of the current season. Nothing is known about a participation in 2025, as Red Bull wants to keep all options open with the driver line-ups for both teams.

The 22-year-old New Zealander, who joined Red Bull's junior programme in 2019, will now have another opportunity to compare himself with Tsunoda, the fourth-year driver at RB, and secure a place in either team for 2025 and beyond.

In June, it was announced that Tsunoda would stay at RB for a fifth season in 2025, but it is not ruled out that he or Lawson could replace Red Bull's Sergio Perez if the team makes an off-season change.

Last year, Lawson drove in five Grands Prix for RB, then known as AlphaTauri, filling in for the injured Ricciardo. Lawson impressed, scoring points with a ninth place in Singapore before initially reverting to a reserve role, but is now considered a better candidate for a Red Bull seat than Ricciardo.

The 35-year-old Australian was brought back last summer to replace the underperforming Nyck de Vries and put pressure on Perez, but since then he has struggled to beat Tsunoda consistently, leading to an early exit.

Daniel Ricciardo, Visa Cash App RB F1 Team

Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images

As a Red Bull junior, Ricciardo made his F1 debut for HRT in 2011 before moving to Toro Rosso and then to Red Bull's main team in 2014.

He took seven of his eight Grand Prix victories for the team alongside Sebastian Vettel and then Max Verstappen before moving to Renault and then McLaren, although the latter dropped him at the end of the 2022 season after two frustrating years.

After 257 starts, eight wins and three pole positions, Ricciardo is now leaving F1 for the second time.