Storm clouds gather as Daniel Ricciardo rumour drops
Daniel Ricciardo is at the centre of the Formula 1 rumour mill again with the Australian reportedly set to be told some crushing news.
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Rumours are spreading this weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix will be Daniel Ricciardo’s final drive with his team.
More fuel has been poured on the burning speculation about the Australian’s future with fresh claims Red Bull is set to axe the veteran in order to rush Kiwi talent Liam Lawson into the junior team during the four week break before the United States Grand Prix in Texas next month.
Ricciardo remains the only driver in the Red Bull stable without a contract for next season with chief adviser Helmut Marko stating Lawson will be getting his chance in 2025.
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Marko told reporters and Sky Sports F1 analyst Ted Kravitz during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix the announcement will be made after Sunday night’s Grand Prix on the Marina Bay street circuit.
Kravitz said it will either be Ricciardo or Lawson sitting in the second Visa Cash App RB car with Japan’s Yuki Tsunoda to keep his drive with the junior Red Bull team while world champion Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez will keep their seats with the senior team next year.
It means storm clouds are gathering for Ricciardo with rumours now suggesting there is a big push for Lawson to get the job — potentially as early as next week.
Auto Racing 1 reported on Monday Ricciardo will be axed before the USGP, which begins on October 19.
“Sources tell us Australian Daniel Ricciardo will be dropped from the team and Yuki Tsunoda will remain to drive alongside Lawson,” F1 journalist Mark Cipolloni reported.
“Red Bull gave 35-year old Ricciardo enough time to completely dominate Tsunoda, but he has not been able to, so it’s time to pull the plug.”
Other motorsport outlets also reported Lawson could be promoted before the end of the 2024 season.
With just 12 points from his last 17 races, Ricciardo has been far from his best, leaving Red Bull in a mess while Perez also continues to struggle with the top outfit.
Lawson has long been rumoured to have a clause in his contract that would allow him to do a deal with another team were Red Bull not to offer him a full-time contract by September.
Outside of the second RB seat, only the future Audi team have an opening for the 2025 season. Marko quashed speculation that Lawson would be allowed to slip through the net to another team.
“Next year he will definitely be driving one of our cars,” he told Austrian paper Kleine Zeitung.
Ricciardo and Tsunoda didn’t help their chances of taking Perez’s seat after a disappointing Azerbaijan Grand Prix on Sunday.
The Perth product finished 13th after a poor strategy where the team a long put him on a long run on hard tyres before finished on medium tyres that degraded quicker than expected.
Ricciardo added that his engineer Pierre Hamelin apologised to him after the race while the team promised to get to the bottom of why the medium tyres ruined his race.
There were no worries for fellow-Aussie Oscar Piastri, who won the race to create more tension in the McLaren garage over its so-called “Papaya Rules” to favour Lando Norris as the Brit seeks to challenge Verstappen for this year’s world championship.
Originally published as Storm clouds gather as Daniel Ricciardo rumour drops
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