Liam Lawson will replace Daniel Ricciardo at RB for the remainder of the 2024 Formula 1 season, Red Bull finally confirmed on Thursday.
The saga over Ricciardo’s future dominated the buildup and aftermath of last weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix.
Ricciardo was emotional in interviews after the race, where he set the fastest lap on his final lap, as it became apparent it was likely his final race in the sport.
Red Bull, owner of the RB team, has now made the news official, announcing Lawson will step in for Ricciardo from the U.S. Grand Prix onward.
Lawson, 22, joined the Red Bull driver programme in 2019.
The New Zealander raced for RB in five races last year as deputy for Ricciardo, who broke a bone in his hand during practice for the Dutch Grand Prix.
The news likely signals the end of Ricciardo’s F1 career, and he bid farewell to the sport in a post on Instagram.
Thank you Daniel 💙
⁰Laurent Mekies on Daniel: “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.”#F1 #VCARB pic.twitter.com/cqKrbFAehU— Visa Cash App RB F1 Team (@visacashapprb) September 26, 2024
“I’ve loved this sport my whole life. It’s wild and wonderful and been a journey,” Ricciardo wrote. “To the teams and individuals that have played their part, thank you. To the fans who love the sport sometimes more than me haha 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 won seven races in his original stint with Red Bull between 2014 and 2018, also claiming victory at the 2021 Italian Grand Prix for McLaren.
Leading figures around F1 paid tribute to Ricciardo on social media.
“It’s been a honour to compete with you over the years,” seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton posted on Instagram. “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 a legacy of always being yourself, which in this sport is never easy. You’ve taken it all with the biggest smile and I salute you for it. There is so much more for you up ahead and I can’t wait to see what you do next. Always here for you, man.”
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner added on Instagram: “From the moment you arrived at Red Bull it was…
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