Liam Lawson claims he would ditch Red Bull for its rivals if they continue to overlook him

Liam Lawson put in some stellar performances during the 2023 F1 season.

Liam Lawson claims he would ditch Red Bull for its rivals if they continue to overlook him

Liam Lawson and Helmut Marko (Via: Imago)

Liam Lawson has been Red Bull’s reserve driver for the past five years. The New Zealander had a few opportunities during the 2023 F1 season to perform and showcase his talent. Lawson replaced Daniel Ricciardo in AlphaTauri (VCARB) when the Australian injured his hand in Zandvoort. With Lawson warming up the Red Bull bench this year, he has indicated that he will leave if not presented with a proper racing opportunity.

Liam Lawson scored points for AlphaTauri during his last year’s opportunities and had hoped to be part of the team’s driver’s lineup for this year. To his misfortune, the team preferred Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda.

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Seeing the current situation, Lawson has given a bit of an ultimatum to the Red Bull group.

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Obviously, for me, the dream is to drive with Red Bull, and I’ve been with them now for more than five years. They’re the most competitive team in Formula 1 right now, so if I could choose, I would drive for them. But my dream is to be in Formula 1, and if it can’t be with them, then obviously, I need to try and make that happen with somebody else.
Liam Lawson told: Fox sports Australia

There have been many speculations that Lawson will once again replace Ricciardo. The latter has been falling behind in performance this season, while his teammate, Tsunoda scored points for the team during the Australian Grand Prix.

Daniel Ricciardo is ‘underserving’ of the VCARB seat

Ever since the beginning of the 2024 season, Daniel Ricciardo has struggled. The Australian has not been able to contribute to the team’s Constructors standings or perform well.

Daniel Ricciardo
Daniel Ricciardo (Via: Imago)

Due to his subpar performance, there have been discussions about whether it was the right choice to extend the 34-year-old’s contract at VCARB. Liam Lawson, who took over the Australian’s seat after the 2023 Zandvoort crash, is being deemed as the deserving driver. 

Chris Stevens(commentator and presenter at loudspeaker agency), recently talked about the same in detail and gave his take on it.

I agree with the idea that Ricciardo is currently undeserving of the seat. They [Racing Bulls] don’t want to be the Red Bull junior team anymore. But that being said, why is Ricciardo in that team?” Even if he were to end up back at Red Bull, I still don’t think he is the right person for that job anymore and we haven’t seen the Ricciardo of the Red Bull era ever since he left, and I don’t see him suddenly coming back. And for me, Lawson is a much more rightful owner of that seat frankly. He’s got a lot more potential.
Chris Stevens via: Apex Formula 1 podcast

Ricciardo is bringing all the negative attention to himself due to his performance. Many believe that history will repeat itself, and in due time, Lawson will replace Ricciardo once again. The 22-year-old has proved his worth to the team on multiple occasions and the Red Bull group is known for being merciless with their drivers. The next few races could prove to be the final few in Daniel Ricciardo’s F1 career. 

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