Daniel Ricciardo landed, Liam Lawson made official at Racing Bulls

Tears of Daniel Ricciardo and the heartfelt thanks of Max Verstappen in Singapore had given a glimpse of colour. Daniel Ricciardo will no longer drive for Racing Bulls this season. The 35-year-old Australian has been thanked by Red Bull, more than a year after making his return to F1 replacing Nyck de Vries, and more than two years after learning of his ouster from McLaren, already. The old pilot Renault was in danger and knew he was on an ejection seat since last summer. The sentence was finally handed down.

It was through a short tweet, in which the French team principal of the stable of Faenza pays tribute to him, that the announcement of Daniel Ricciardo's departure was made official. The Aussie himself reacted on social networks, greeting his fans and making a date for future adventures, which de facto rules out the hypothesis of an imminent retirement. Fourteenth in the championship with 12 points on the clock, against 22 for his teammate Yuki tsunoda, the Perth native entered the points three times, while the Japanese scored 7 times.

The eight-time Grand Prix winner knew the deal when he returned to action in Hungary last year. He had a big year to show himself, and especially to become the undisputed leader of the Faenza team. By fulfilling his part of the contract, he would have had every chance of being recalled to Red Bull for 2025. He also knew that in the event of failure, Red Bull's B team, which is intended to become a junior team again, would not keep him for very long.

Especially since behind, there is a rush at the gate. Liam Lawson, who replaced Daniel Ricciardo when he was injured last year for five races, was waiting for a new chance and so he finally got it. Ten minutes after we learned of Daniel Ricciardo's departure, Liam Lawson was in fact announced as his replacement until the end of the season and from Austin, where the next Grand Prix will take place. The symbolism is total since it was at the time of the American round that the Kiwi had to hand his steering wheel back to the incumbent Daniel Ricciardo.

Thank you Daniel 💙
⁰Laurent Mekies on Daniel: “He has brought a lot of experience and talent to the Team with a fantastic attitude, which has helped everyone to develop and foster a tight team spirit.”#F1 #VCARB pic.twitter.com/cqKrbFAehU

— Visa Cash App RB F1 Team (@visashapprb) September 26, 2024

“Everyone here at VCARB would like to thank Daniel for his hard work over the last two seasons with us, explained Laurent Mekies, the team principal. He brought a wealth of experience and talent to the team with a fantastic attitude, which helped everyone develop and foster a close-knit team spirit. Daniel was a true gentleman on and off the track and never failed to smile. He will be missed, and will always hold a special place within 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 handled the difficult circumstances well, so the transition will be a natural one. It’s great to see young talent from the Red Bull family take the next step. We look forward to focusing on the rest of the season together.”

As a reminder, in 2023, Liam Lawson surprised everyone by achieving five very good interim rounds, from Zandvoort to Singapore, with the highlight being a 9th place at Marina Bay, competing eye to eye with the holder Yuki Tsunoda. The New Zealander will have to prove that he is capable of reaching the same level as last year, and will be playing big with the prospect of securing his seat for the 2024 season, while Isack Hadjar is fighting for the title in Formula 2 in the anteroom.

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