Red Bull Formula 1 advisor Helmut Marko has hinted Liam Lawson could replace Daniel Ricciardo at RB in 2025 due to the shareholders’ wish to have a “young driver”.
RB’s announcement earlier this month that Yuki Tsunoda will remain with the squad next term has guaranteed that either Ricciardo or Lawson will miss out on a drive.
While Ricciardo occupies the current seat, the Australian has failed to extract consistent results and lies 10 points behind his less-established team-mate this season.
Ricciardo’s struggles in 2024 have dashed his chances of a dream return to the senior Red Bull team as Sergio Perez has been handed a multi-year contract extension.
RB has admitted that retaining Ricciardo with Tsunoda would be its preference, but Marko has revealed that Red Bull shareholders are angling to see youth integrated.
“The shareholders have made it known that it is a junior team and we have to act accordingly,” Marko told Kleine Zeitung.
“The goal was that he would be considered for Red Bull Racing with exceptional performances.
“That seat now belongs to Sergio Perez, so that plan is no longer valid.”
“We have to put a young driver in there soon,” Marko added regarding RB’s driver line-up. “That would be Liam Lawson.”
Lawson has completed several F1 outings as he deputised at five rounds last term when Ricciardo was sidelined with a broken metacarpal from a crash at Zandvoort.
The New Zealander, who has been linked to Sauber, will be allowed to chase a move elsewhere should Red Bull not promote him, indicating Marko is referencing 2025.
However, Ricciardo bolstered his hopes with a solid run to eighth in the Canadian Grand Prix and expressed last weekend that he intends to stick with RB next season.
“Well, I mean, Canada obviously helps,” he said. “As I said, I needed a result like that. Obviously I would like to stay.
“So as I say, now that I’m back in that Red Bull family that’s where… I really don’t see myself anywhere else. So that’s where I’d love to stay and continue.
“I also said, I think, before the weekend in Canada that, you know, I obviously want to earn it. Like I don’t just want it to be like, ‘ Yeah. Yeah. OK. Stay another year’.
“I obviously want to be here because I know that I still belong here and can do can do performances like I did last week [in Canada].
“So it’s also up to me just to make sure that I can keep pulling it out,” he added. “And in that case, then I’ll be very happy to stay.”
