According to a New Zealand media report, Liam Lawson could take over the cockpit from Daniel Ricciardo at Racing Bulls as early as Miami
On Monday after the Australian Grand Prix, a rumor made the rounds on the internet. The New Zealand Herald is currently reporting that Helmut Marko, Red Bull’s motorsport consultant, is said to have given Daniel Ricciardo an ultimatum: If his performance does not improve at the next two Grands Prix in Japan and China, he will be out.
The fact that the story was published in New Zealand of all places is presumably no coincidence. The Herald writes further: If Ricciardo were to lose his cockpit, Liam Lawson would drive for the Racing Bulls from Miami – for the time being until the end of the season. And Lawson is known to be New Zealander.
“In the long term”, according to the report, citing “internal” information, Lawson is even seen as “Red Bull’s best option as team-mate to world champion Max Verstappen, as current team-mate Sergio Perez’s contract expires at the end of the 2024 season”.
A story that initially seems plausible. Ricciardo has also recently been publicly criticized by Marko, and he would not be the first driver to be kicked out of Red Bull’s B team in the middle of the season. The last victim of the tough Red Bull school was Nyck de Vries, who had to make way for Ricciardo after just ten race weekends in 2023
Marko: Story about ultimatum is nonsense
He emphasizes that there was no ultimatum to Ricciardo and speculates that the speculation may have been triggered by the fact that Ricciardo has to skip the first Friday practice session at the upcoming Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka.
Local hero Ayumu Iwasa will complete a Friday test there, meaning that the Racing Bulls will line up with two Japanese drivers in at least one session at the Japanese Grand Prix, in the home of engine manufacturer Honda. However, Iwasa’s deployment had been planned for some time and has nothing to do with Ricciardo being sacked.
Quite the opposite: not having Yuki Tsunoda drive in Suzuka of all places would seem strange from a marketing point of view. And for Iwasa, Suzuka is a great opportunity to prove his talent. The 22-year-old has been a Red Bull Junior since 2021, finished fifth in Formula 2 in 2022 and fourth in 2023 and will contest the Super Formula in his native Japan in 2024
Why Ricciardo gets even more time
The truth is: Ricciardo is currently miles away from fulfilling his dream of returning to Red Bull Racing. That would only have been conceivable if he had clearly prevailed over Tsunoda in the junior team. At the moment, he is not succeeding. And it is also clear that Marko has signaled to Lawson that he could return to Formula 1 by 2025 at the latest, perhaps as early as 2024.
The fact that this is now being turned into an ultimatum on the internet and that Ricciardo could be history after Shanghai is just one thing: if his performance does not improve by the summer break, a driver swap during the season is not ruled out.
The Racing Bulls are convinced that Ricciardo can drive fast. His speed shines through time and again, although he does not get on as well as Tsunoda with the 2024 car. Team bosses Laurent Mekies and Peter Bayer also emphasized this recently and self-critically stated that the team must first strive to improve the car
