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Daniel Ricciardo removed from RB; Liam Lawson's seat confirmed

Liam Lawson will replace Daniel Ricciardo at RB for the remainder of the 2024 Formula 1 season, Red Bull finally confirmed on Thursday.

The saga surrounding Ricciardo’s future dominated the build-up to and aftermath of last weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix.

Ricciardo appeared emotional in post-race interviews as he realised this would likely be his last race in the sport, and set the fastest lap on his final lap.

Red Bull, the owner of the RB team, has now made the news official and announced that Lawson will take Ricciardo's place from the US Grand Prix onwards.

Lawson, 22, joined the Red Bull driver program in 2019.

The New Zealander drove five races for RB last year as a replacement for Ricciardo, who broke a bone in his hand during training for the Dutch Grand Prix.

The news likely means the end of Ricciardo's F1 career and he said goodbye to the sport in a post on Instagram.

“I have loved this sport all my life. It is wild and wonderful and it has been a journey,” Ricciardo wrote. “Thank you to the teams and individuals who have played their part. Thank you to the fans who sometimes love the sport more than I do haha.”

“There will always be ups and downs, but it was fun and honestly I wouldn't change anything. Until the next adventure.”

Ricciardo won seven races in his first stint with Red Bull between 2014 and 2018 and also took victory at the 2021 Italian Grand Prix for McLaren.

On Thursday, RB posted a thank you message to Ricciardoand praised him for his services to the team before the press release announcing Lawson followed 20 minutes later.

RB boss Laurent Mekies said: “Everyone here at VCARB [Visa Cash App RB] would like to thank Daniel for his hard work with us over the last two seasons. He has brought a lot of experience and talent to the team and a fantastic attitude which has 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. It's great to see young talent from the Red Bull family taking the next step. We look forward to getting on with it and focusing on the rest of the season together.”

Although there was no confirmation for 2025 in the press release, Lawson is widely expected to continue at RB next season.

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