Christian Horner claims the Red group is aware of ‘what Liam Lawson is capable of’ amidst Daniel Ricciardo’s contract extension saga

Liam Lawson has been in the Red Bull pool of drivers for a long time.

Christian Horner claims the Red group is aware of ‘what Liam Lawson is capable of’ amidst Daniel Ricciardo’s contract extension saga

Liam Lawson, Daniel Ricciardo and Christian Horner (Via: Imago)

The eight-time Grand Prix winner, Daniel Ricciardo has not got off to the best of starts during the 2024 F1 season. He came into the campaign with the hope of amassing a Red Bull seat for 2025, and while that option is now out of the window, his RB seat is also under immense threat from RB and Red Bull reserve driver, Liam Lawson.

The New Zealander filled in for Ricciardo (because of a wrist injury) for five races in 2023 and impressed one and all with his performances. Red Bull boss, Christian Horner recently took the time to shed light on the second seat at RB and he really did not shy away from talking up Liam Lawson.

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The 22-year-old scored two points in five outings for RB (AlphaTuari) last year.

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Liam, as well. He’s another really valued member of the team. He’s champing at the bit, glued to every session, and we know what he’s capable of. So there’s always pressure on the incumbent drivers.
Christian Horner said in an interview with Sky Sports

Yuki Tsunoda was recently secured by RB for the 2025 F1 season, with the Japanese driver’s future secured, the only other option on the team is Ricciardo’s seat. The ongoing campaign is immensely crucial for the latter because if he underperforms, he will most definitely be kicked out in favor of Lawson for next year.

Red Bull set to take their time in deciding on the second RB seat

While Lawson is a strong candidate for the 2025 RB F1 seat, it has been made known by Horner that the Red Bull group is in no rush to fill the second seat. They are going to take their time to assess all options carefully before making a decision.

Christian Horner (L), Daniel Ricciardo (R) (images via IMAGO)
Christian Horner (L), Daniel Ricciardo (R) (images via IMAGO)

Daniel Ricciardo has so far managed to amass nine points this year.

I think Daniel has had an up-and-down start to the year. He knows he has to deliver. He knew he hadn’t done enough to warrant a seat in the senior team for next year. There’s still plenty of time.
Christian Horner said in the same interview

The 2025 driver market has turned out to be extremely volatile with things moving quite quickly. Moreover, it has also recently come to light that Liam Lawson has a clause in his contract that allows him to leave the Red Bull pool of drivers, in case he is not given a seat for next year. Keeping everything in view, the battle for the second seat is only going to get more intense.

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