‘Liam Is Quicker Than Daniel’: Ex-Ferrari Boss Serves Brutal Reality Check to Ailing Ricciardo Despite 2024 Security

Daniel Ricciardo is in danger. We heard this throughout Ricciardo’s time at McLaren when he struggled to cope with McLaren’s cars. 2022 could’ve been the final season of his Formula 1 career had Red Bull not handed him a lifeline. As reserve driver for the team he calls “home,” he didn’t have much to lose. That was until he got the call up from AlphaTauri to replace Nyck De Vries. Losing out on two-going-on-three races since his comeback, Ricciardo could now be in danger of losing his fairytale. To whom? Liam Lawson.

The Honey Badger spent some time on the sidelines after his McLaren sacking. While he’d lost the motivation to drive after his Woking horrors, Red Bull reignited that lost spark. Since then, he’s expressed just how much he’d like to race for Red Bull again. While his chances are still alive, Ricciardo’s now been dealt a reality check, courtesy of Lawson.

Daniel Ricciardo needs to be wary of Liam Lawson

Ricciardo wrote himself off for a few races after he fractured his hand in Zandvoort. Super-sub Liam Lawson has since then assumed the role alongside Yuki Tsunoda. Still recovering, an ailing Ricciardo in Singapore assumed engineering duties for his team while Lawson was on track, shocking everyone. Considering it was just his third race in F1, not to mention at the Marina Bay Circuit—one of the most challenging tracks—no one expected too much. Certainly not him being the best-placed Red Bull driver for the race. 

To make things better for himself, Lawson was the one to bump Verstappen out in Q2. He followed his first Q3 appearance with an impressive drive on Sunday to score his maiden points. Despite how well he’s done since joining F1 (temporarily), Lawson’s F1 future for 2024 is in limbo. As F1 headed to Japan this weekend,  sources told ESPN, “Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda will stay with AlphaTauri in 2024.” But even though Ricciardo’s future at AlphaTauri in 2024 seems to be safe, Lawson is still a threat.

Following Lawson’s P9, former Ferrari General Manager Peter Windsor made a striking remark on a YouTube livestream. He said, “Right now, to me, Liam Lawson is doing at least as good a job as Daniel Ricciardo in that AlphaTauri. I’m not sure Daniel would’ve bumped Max into P11 at the end of Q2, whereas Liam did. In my opinion, right now, Liam Lawson is probably a quicker driver than Daniel Ricciardo.”

Read More: After Helmut Marko’s Stern Reality Check, Daniel Ricciardo Stands Up for Liam Lawson With “Strong” Message

That said, if Lawson keeps up his performances, he might very well become Red Bull’s first option in 2025. Like Lawson’s F1 future, Ricciardo’s Red Bull future is in limbo, too. But if anyone needs to be more wary than Ricciardo about Lawson’s threat, it’s Tsunoda.

Liam Lawson could jeopardize Yuki Tsunoda’s future

Along with Daniel Ricciardo, Yuki Tsunoda seems safe in his seat at AlphaTauri, too. Well, as safe as anyone can feel in that hot seat. Everyone knows how volatile the seats in Alpha and the second seat in Red Bull can be. Just this season, Tsunoda’s had three teammates. Unfortunately for him, he hasn’t done too well against Lawson. Yes, his seat might be safe, but if Lawson outperforms him again in Japan, it won’t look good for the homeboy.  

Recently, there were speculations that Tsunoda might be moved to a reserve driver role to make room for Lawson at Alpha. Although it seems like it won’t happen in 2024, no one can know for sure with Alpha and Red Bull. Recently, AlphaTauri CEO Peter Bayer mentioned he would like a young-experienced driver pairing at AlphaTauri. With Ricciardo being the obvious “experienced driver” choice, that leaves Lawson or Tsunoda for the second seat. If Tsunoda is confirmed for 2024, he’ll still need to be on the lookout for Lawson and keep his performances up. Otherwise, another mid-season swap could be in the cards for AlphaTauri.

Would Liam Lawson be totally out of the picture if AlphaTauri retains Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda?

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