To say that the driver recruitment situation at Red Bull is confusing might be an understatement. Along with its sister team Visa CashApp Racing Bulls, the Austrian outfit is currently juggling the fates of three F1 racers: Sergio Perez, Daniel Ricciardo, and Liam Lawson. As of now, Perez has a seat beside Max Verstappen at Red Bull while Ricciardo drives for VCARB. And Liam is acting as the reserve driver for both teams. However, the New Zealander has high hopes for landing a seat in F1 soon.

Last year, Lawson made his debut in Formula 1 as a substitute for Ricciardo during a five-race spell. He wowed all the onlookers by performing excellently as he scored his maiden Championship points at the 2023 Singapore GP. However, Red Bull made him wait for another season as Daniel Ricciardo was offered a VCARB seat instead of Lawson. Now, we are halfway into 2024 and RBR has to make a decision on whether they want Liam Lawson to take one of the seats for next year.

Interestingly, Helmut Marko has said that a verdict on Lawson’s fate will come by September. The octogenarian said to Speedweek, “We will announce what happens next with Liam Lawson in September. It has been planned for some time that he would be able to gain more Formula 1 experience in Imola.” If Red Bull does not offer an F1 seat to Lawson soon, his contract allows him to become a free agent and approach other squads for a regular racing role. So, Marko addressed that concern by saying, “Even though the competition would like to use him on loan, he is not available for that.”

If Marko’s words are anything to go by, Liam Lawson will enter into Formula 1 next year. Most probably, it will be with a VCARB seat since both Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez have multi-year contracts with Red Bull. But what does this indicate for Daniel Ricciardo?

Marko’s Liam Lawson promise spells danger for Ricciardo

Daniel Ricciardo has had an adventurous tenure ever since he joined Red Bull last year in a reserve role. Six months into his service, RBR summoned the Honey Badger to replace Nyck deVries at VCARB since the Dutchman was performing abysmally. However, ever since Danny Ricc’s return to F1, he has not been particularly impressive with his driving skills. But even more disappointing has been Sergio Perez‘s run for Red Bull since he has suffered many DNFs and below-top-10 finishes.

Thus, Red Bull decided they would prematurely terminate Perez’s contract and take Daniel Ricciardo as Verstappen’s teammate. At VCARB, the Honey Badger would be replaced by Liam Lawson. However, Perez has put a stop to this plan with the help of Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim. Using his influence, Slim has currently paused Christian Horner‘s plans of ousting Perez until at least the Mexican GP. And if the Mexican continues to race for Red Bull even in 2025, then it means Ricciardo will have to leave F1.

At 34, Sebastian Vettel had taken the exit door from F1. And being 35 now, Daniel Ricciardo might have to follow in the footsteps of Vettel. But is the Aussie even ready to retire from Formula 1 yet? What’s your take? Share in the comments below.