Daniel Ricciardo is no longer an F1 driver after RB decided to replace him with Liam Lawson for the remainder of the season. News of his exit became apparent during the Singapore GP weekend, but Lawson later revealed that he had known about the decision for two weeks prior.
Appearing as a guest on New Zealand’s Newstalk ZB, Liam Lawson expressed his happiness, calling it a dream come true. However, he had to keep the news of replacing Ricciardo to himself, as Red Bull, the parent team, had forbidden him from revealing it.
“It now finally does feel real,” Lawson said. “Obviously, I knew about it for the last two weeks, but until it’s out there to the world, it doesn’t really feel set in stone, and I couldn’t tell anybody”
BREAKING: Liam Lawson to replace Daniel Ricciardo at RB for the remainder of the 2024 season
Lawson will race for the team from the US Grand Prix onwards #F1 pic.twitter.com/XnawGuIkeu
— Formula 1 (@F1) September 26, 2024
Lawson added that his contract included a set date by which he needed to secure an F1 seat. Red Bull’s decision to remove Ricciardo aligned with this timeline. As the date approached, the New Zealander was informed of what was going to happen, solidifying the plan and setting everything in motion.
However, Lawson couldn’t fully celebrate. A major reason was that Red Bull gave him only six races to prove his worth. While other drivers had spent three-quarters of the season getting familiar with their teams and cars Lawson would have just three weeks (before the US GP) to prepare before suiting up.
Lawson’s arrival has been well received by the F1 community, but at the same time, the sport has bid farewell to one of its most iconic drivers – Ricciardo.
F1 bids farewell to Riccardo
With Ricciardo stepping away from F1 (at least for now), many drivers took to social media to bid him farewell. Lewis Hamilton was among the first, reminiscing about an iconic ‘shoey’ moment they shared on the podium. Although Hamilton admitted it was gross, he was glad to have experienced it with Ricciardo.
Lewis Hamilton bids farewell to Daniel Ricciardo via Instagram:
“Daniel Ricciardo it’s been a honour to compete with you over the years. I’ll never forget the battles, the laughs, and drinking out of your shoe It was gross, but glad I got to do it with you bud.”
“You leave… pic.twitter.com/hrXMdRJijv
— deni (@fiagirly) September 26, 2024
Meanwhile, Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon also took to Instagram to send Ricciardo messages. Both praised the Perth-born driver for his unique personality and his late lunges, which earned him the nickname ‘the last of the late brakers.’ Ocon, his former teammate at Renault, also thanked Ricciardo for being a good mentor.
Ricciardo too, issued a heartfelt post shortly after his departure was confirmed. He thanked his fans, noting that some had ‘favored the sport’ more than him. It had been a turbulent few years for Ricciardo in F1, but he insisted that he wouldn’t want to change anything about his journey.
