There’s a reason why Daniel Ricciardo is so popular amongst the Formula One community.
A man with a smile almost permanently etched on his face, the Australian’s bubbly spirit was a constant presence on the grid for the last 14 years.
However, the 2025 season marks the first time Ricciardo is without a seat having been let go by Visa Cash App Racing Bulls (VCARB) – formerly known as AlphaTauri – after the Singapore Grand Prix last year.
Ricciardo, who had mustered just three top-ten finishes from 18 races, was swiftly replaced by Kiwi prodigy Liam Lawson.
It was a ruthless call from RB, but such are the fine margins in a sport where every point matters, they felt compelled to make the switch.
From Lawson’s six races in the RB seat last season he secured two top-ten finishes, which was enough for Red Bull to promote him to become Max Verstappen‘s teammate after Sergio Perez was let go.
Once Lawson’s promotion was confirmed, only one driver reached out to congratulate him.
In an interview with GQ Australia, Lawson revealed that driver just happened to be the man he replaced in Red Bull’s sister team.
“I actually spoke to Daniel a lot when it was happening,” Lawson said.
“I will always have so much respect for him.
“Throughout the whole ordeal, from when the rumours started to when they were confirmed, he never said a bad word about or towards me.
“He never made it about me and him, because at the end of the day it wasn’t our decision.
GettyLawson, 23, was promoted to Red Bull after just 12 races for VCARB[/caption]
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“It’s up to the team and what they decide to do. He was so good to me through all of it.
“Fast forward to December, when I got the Red Bull seat, and Daniel is still the only driver, past or present, to send me a message about it, congratulating me.
“It says a lot about him as a person.”
Lawson’s six races for RB was not his first taste of life as an F1 driver as he filled in for Ricciardo during the 2023 season while the Australian recovered from a broken hand.
The Kiwi finished 13th and 11th in his first two races but earned points with a ninth-place finish at the Singapore GP.
Having shown glimpses of his potential, having to wait until the United States GP last October for his first drive of the season was a ‘brutal’ period for the Lawson.
But he knew he’d have to bide his time for an opportunity, which would only come in the unfortunate scenario of a driver losing their seat.
“The possibility of anything in this sport slips away all the time,” Lawson said.
“Last year was an emotional rollercoaster. You obviously never wish for somebody’s downfall, but I knew that the only way I was going to get a seat was to replace somebody, so watching the season was brutal.
“There would be races where a seat seemed closer and then it would go away again, just like that.
“In the meantime, Red Bull was testing me and I was trying to nail every single opportunity that they gave me.
“It wasn’t an enjoyable experience.”
Lawson will hope to get his Red Bull career off to a dream start when the grid converges on Melbourne for the first race of the season.
The Australian GP gets underway at the Albert Park Circuit on Sunday at 4am.
