Game over for Daniel Ricciardo? Liam Lawson promotion card ...

Helmut Marko has dropped a hint that Daniel Ricciardo could be axed by RB, claiming the team “will have to” promote Liam Lawson to an F1 race seat “soon” on the command of Red Bull shareholders.

Ricciardo has largely struggled since returning to F1 with RB (formerly AlphaTauri) in F1 2023, registering just two points finishes in 17 appearances since his comeback at last year’s Hungarian Grand Prix.

The Australian suffered a broken hand in a practice crash at Zandvoort in just his third race back, opening the door for Red Bull reserve driver Lawson to compete in five races.

Despite impressing in Ricciardo’s absence, and claiming the team’s best result of that stage of 2023 in Singapore, Lawson was denied a promotion to a full-time seat for F1 2024 as the team opted to retain Ricciardo along with Yuki Tsunoda.

Marko revealed earlier this year that a clause contained in Lawson’s contract will allow him to walk away from Red Bull entirely if he is not promoted to a permanent seat for F1 2025.

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With RB announcing at the Canadian Grand Prix earlier this month that Tsunoda will remain with the team for next season, Lawson’s hopes of racing for the Faenza-based outfit hinges on the future of Ricciardo, 34, whose own hopes of returning to Red Bull Racing ended after the team announced a new two-year contract for Sergio Perez.

According to Austrian publication Kleine Zeitung ahead of Red Bull’s home race in Austria this weekend, Marko has revealed that the energy drink’s shareholders are keen to see RB return to its roots as a team to train young drivers, having produced the likes of Max Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel in its previous Toro Rosso guise.

And that, he says, means RB “will have to” turn to Lawson in the near future.

He said: “The shareholders have made it clear that it is a junior team and we have to act accordingly.

“The goal was that [Ricciardo] would be considered for Red Bull Racing with exceptional performances. That seat now belongs to Sergio Perez, so that plan is no longer valid.

“We will have to put a young driver in there soon. That would be Liam Lawson.”

At the recent Canadian Grand Prix, Ricciardo – who has claimed just one points finish this season, in additional to a fourth-place finish in the Miami sprint race – insisted that he is refusing to give up on his dream of a return to Red Bull’s senior team despite the news that Perez will remain with the Milton Keynes-based outfit until the end of F1 2026.

He told reporters in Montreal: “I don’t think it means anything like ‘that’s it’ in terms of [my prospects]. I don’t see it as: ‘Oh, maybe I won’t get a chance.’

“Personally, I’ve had one amazing result in Miami but the rest of my season has been not really what I expect out of myself.

“I want my season to go better than it is to really help with any opportunities like that. I’m also realistic.

“I feel like I still want it to be progressing quicker, but I do think we are taking steps and I still believe I can turn it around, just do better moving forward and just kick some butt.

“And obviously, if I’m here next year then that’ll also make me happy.”

Asked if his focus now is on retaining his RB seat for F1 2025, he said: “Definitely.

“That was already where my head was at, because I knew Miami was [good], but I haven’t really done enough to really raise hairs. I’m just trying to do that more and that’s it.

“To be honest, the mindset hasn’t changed.

“We’re not halfway through the season yet, but we’re fairly into it now and I’ve had one result which I was really, really happy with and then others which I’ve been maybe less so.

“I just probably hold myself accountable for not doing anything too spectacular. And when you’re obviously trying to fight for a top seat, you need to be doing some pretty awesome things.

“I think that’s why I say I don’t think it means it will never happen – it’s still a place I’d love to finish my career – but obviously now in the short term that’s not going to happen.

“So mindset-wise, that was still an end goal, but right now I’m here and stated that I need to do well and get some more points and I’m happy doing that here.

“I think the team is doing a good job to help me out with that, so it’s just up to me.”

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