Red Bull warned against setting up Liam Lawson “for failure”
"Massive challenge" of sprint weekend awaits Daniel Ricciardo's replacement
Red Bull have been warned against setting up Liam Lawson “for failure” by parachuting him in at RB towards the end of the F1 season.
Daniel Ricciardo has been dropped with six races to go and will be replaced at Red Bull’s sister team RB for the remainder of the 2024 campaign by Lawson.
22-year-old Lawson will be drafted in alongside Yuki Tsunoda at next month’s United States Grand Prix.
Reacting to Thursday’s official announcement, ex-F1 driver and Sky Sports pundit Karun Chandhok described Ricciardo’s farewell at the Singapore Grand Prix as “awkward”.
“Really don’t think Red Bull have made this easy for Liam or Daniel… Could have had a nice send off in Singapore instead of weekend with awkward “maybe’s” for Daniel,” Chandhok tweeted.
Lawson filled in at RB for five races last season after Ricciardo broke his hand in a crash at the Dutch Grand Prix - just two races into his own comeback.
The New Zealander impressed during his cameo outings and scored two points by finishing ninth in Singapore.
But Chandhok is concerned by the challenge facing Lawson, particularly with his first race back coinciding with a sprint weekend in Austin.
“For Liam, replacing one of the most popular drivers, in USA, straight into a Sprint weekend is a massive challenge!” Chandhok continued.
“Hope they give him some testing between now and Austin to get dialled in - got to give the young drivers a proper chance or you’re setting them up for failure.”
Lawson will get the chance to impress Red Bull and potentially throw his hat into the ring for a 2025 seat at the senior team.
Although Sergio Perez is under contract alongside Max Verstappen for next season, his underwhelming performances this year have brought his future back into the spotlight.
Amid mounting speculation that Perez could be replaced mid-season during the summer, Red Bull had to insist that the Mexican’s seat was safe for the rest of the campaign.
But there is no guarantee that Perez will keep his Red Bull seat for 2025.
