‘Meant to be me’: Kiwi fuming over F1 snub in Red Bull’s brutal hunger games

The new F1 season is here and fresh insights have emerged about the brutal hunger games at Red Bull and Daniel Ricciardo’s team.

Daniel Ricciardo and Liam Lawson.

As the F1 world gears up for Daniel Ricciardo’s full-time return to the grid, it’s easy to forget the unlucky driver who fell victim to Red Bull’s hunger games last year.

In a seriously eventful 2023 — Ricciardo went from Red Bull’s reserve driver before replacing Nyck De Vries at AlphaTauri mid-season, missed five races with a broken hand, and finally secured his spot on the grid for 2024 following an impressive seventh place finish in Mexico.

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While Ricciardo was out with injury, 22-year-old New Zealander Liam Lawson filled in for him and did a very admirable job.

In his five-race F1 audition, Lawson beat AlphaTauri teammate Yuki Tsunoda in all but one race and finished in the points in sweltering conditions at the Singapore Grand Prix.

But there was no room for the talented Kiwi as F1’s musical chairs played out in the back half of the year.

AlphaTauri (now called Visa Cash App RB) announced it was sticking with Ricciardo and gave Tsunoda a fourth year at Red Bull’s feeder team, leaving Lawson out in the cold.

“It’s tough knowing that I don’t get the seat even though I’ve beaten a guy that’s getting a seat,” Lawson said in the latest season of Netflix’s Drive to Survive documentary.

“I don’t know how to f***ing answer that honestly because it’s meant to be me, so …

“Obviously it’s frustrating. There’s a lot of things going on to be honest. I think emotionally and mentally, pretty draining yeah.”

Liam Lawson was gutted to miss out on a fulltime seat. (Photo by John THYS / AFP)

“But to be honest, it’s been hard to actually enjoy it,” Lawson said of his successful stint for AlphaTauri.

“Until I have that security or having that contract for a full-time seat, it’s hard to really enjoy it.”

Drive to Survive features a scene where Red Bull boss Christian Horner delivers the news to Lawson that he will be warming the bench as Red Bull and AlphaTauri’s reserve driver in 2024.

“From your perspective, you’re doing a great job,” Horner begins.

“What you’ve done so far has impressed me. It’s impressed everybody in the team.”

Then comes the kicker.

“Um … so they’re going to announce Daniel and Yuki,” Horner says.

“It goes out in the morning. Okay? Stay positive. You will get your chance.”

Three drivers don't go into two. Photo: Netflix.

There had been a chance Lawson could have joined the grid had Red Bull sacked the underperforming Sergio Perez, but the constructors champions opted for the status quo.

Perez’s lucrative Mexican sponsorships and Tsunoda’s relationship with Honda were undoubtedly factors in those decisions.

“Formula One, it’s never just about the stopwatch,” F1 commentator Will Buxton said.

“There’s politics. Big business. Sponsorship. Popularity. Myriad of considerations for every seat.

“Liam’s performances give Red Bull and AlphaTauri management a massive headache because he’s been too good.

“They now have three drivers for two seats. They have Daniel, Yuki and Liam Lawson has very much entered the chat.

“It’s a nice problem to have. Three really competitive drivers for two seats.”

Danica Patrick added: “You’re not guaranteed to be a Formula One driver because you’re a reserve driver or just because you want to. A lot of people want to.”

Yuki Tsunoda and Daniel Ricciardo will suit up for (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)

Horner said Red Bull gave serious thought to giving Lawson a full-time drive, but said the pressure is now on Ricciardo to deliver consistent top 10 results for AlphaTauri.

“He did a great job,” Horner said of Lawson.

“Brought some questions of should Liam be on the grid in 2024? Has he done enough? And if so, which driver should be replace?

“Daniel’s seen how Liam’s done in that car. The expectation is to carry that on. He (Daniel) has got to refind that form, that motivation that he had, that we remember in his time at Red Bull.”

Ricciardo is eyeing top fives and the odd podium in 2024. (Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images)

After one of Lawson’s solid results, recently departed AlphaTauri team principal Franz Tost was heard saying in the paddock: “He’s impressive. We’ll have some interesting discussions for the line-up.

Tost later said: “He’s a great young man Liam, who has lots of talent but I believe nowadays in Formula One, you need experience.

“So we believe Daniel and Yuki with Liam as reserve driver for both teams (Red Bull and AlphaTauri) is the right choice.”

For his part, Ricciardo said his seat at AlphaTauri was his “path back to the front of the grid”.

“The full circle dream is to get back at Red Bull Racing,” the Australian said.

“That would be like complete for me.”

The early signs are good, with Ricciardo’s lap times in the top five on both days of preseason testing in Bahrain last week.

Despite Lewis Hamilton’s impending move to Ferrari and Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris signing extensions in the off-season, there are still 12 drivers who will be out of contract at the end of 2024.

So there is still hope for Lawson to realise his Formula One dream, even if it isn’t in the Red Bull family.

The 2024 Formula One season begins at the Bahrain Grand Prix on Sunday March 3 AEDT.