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Visa Cash App RB Formula One Team (RB) have announced that Australian star driver Daniel Ricciardo will be leaving the team with immediate effect. Liam Lawson the Red Bull junior driver has been announced as his replacement. After being stranded for the 2023 season following his exit from McLaren, Daniel Ricciardo joined AlphaTauri (formerly known as Red Bull's sister team) mid-season to replace Nyck De Vries, who was seen as underperforming. Ricciardo's contract with the team was set to expire at the end of the season, and he had been linked to a potential return to Red Bull. However, AlphaTauri decided to replace him early.
“I’ve loved this sport my whole life. It’s wild and wonderful and been a journey. To the teams and individuals that have played their part, thank you. To the fans who love the sport sometimes more than me … thank you. It’ll always have its highs and lows but it’s been fun and truth be told I wouldn’t change it. Until the next adventure," Ricciardo wrote in a post on Instagram. “
RB Team Principal Laurent Mekies thanked Ricciardo for his efforts across the last two seasons.
“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. Daniel has been a true gentleman both on and off the track and never without that smile. He will be missed, but will always hold a special place within the Red Bull family," he said in a statement.
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Ricciardo Career
Over his 14-year F1 career, Ricciardo has built an impressive résumé, boasting eight race wins and 32 podium finishes, placing him 35th on the all-time list. He has finished in the top three of the World Drivers' Championship twice and accumulated 1,329 points across 257 races.
His last race was at the Singapore Grand Prix, where he finished 18th. Ricciardo began his journey in the Red Bull Academy as a teenager, making his F1 debut with HRT in 2011 before moving to Toro Rosso the following year. He was promoted to the main Red Bull team in 2014, where he raced for five seasons and secured eight victories. He moved to Renault for 2019 before jumping to McLaren in 2021. He struggled during his tenure with the British team, although he did take a memorable – and what is likely to be his final – victory at the 2021 Italian Grand Prix.
“When I got into the sport and moved to Europe, I was – maybe some people would find it hard to believe – I was quite a shy, not the most confident individual. And I think I was also … just quite young and immature. So getting signed up by the Red Bull program when I was 18 … having that responsibility, that pressure, all of that, it forced me to grow up. I’m proud. Like, don’t get me wrong, if (my F1 career) ended today, I would be proud of what I’ve done. But on the same note, you’re never fully satisfied because the reason I got into Formula One was to try to become world champion. I can still be proud without it because I’ve put the effort in. But yeah, I still want to add that. That would give me 100% the full picture of happiness and satisfaction," Ricciardo told CNN.
The 22-year-old Lawson stepped in for Ricciardo for five races in 2023 when Ricciardo suffered a wrist injury and has served as the reserve driver for both Red Bull and RB. Liam is set to make his debut as a full-time racer at the US Grand Prix in Austin, Texas in October.
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