Daniel Ricciardo has departed Visa Cash App RB and will be replaced by Liam Lawson for the remainder of the 2025 campaign.
Ricciardo replaced Nyck de Vries at, the then named, Scuderia AlphaTauri team for the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix and has gone on to race for the Red Bull junior team since then, albeit missing a few races when a crash at Zandvoort kept him out of action for a number of race weekends.
Following a disappointing spell at McLaren F1 Team, Ricciardo aimed for this to be his chance back into Oracle Red Bull Racing alongside Max Verstappen, and despite rumours over the summer break that he was in line to replace Sergio Pérez, nothing ever materialised.
An Instagram post from Ricciardo seems to signal that his career is at an end: “I’ve loved this sport my whole life. It’s wild and wonderful and been a journey.
“To the teams and individuals that have played their part, thank you. To the fans who love the sport sometimes more than me haha thank you. It’ll always have its highs and lows but it’s been fun and truth be told I wouldn’t change it. Until the next adventure.”
RB team principal, Laurent Mekies said: “Everyone here at VCARB would like to thank Daniel for his hard work across the last two seasons with us.
“He has brought a lot of experience and talent to the Team with a fantastic attitude, which has helped everyone to develop and foster a tight team spirit. Daniel has been a true gentleman both on and off the track and never without that smile. He will be missed, but will always hold a special place within the Red Bull family.”
Ricciardo has been replaced by Lawson, who was the substitute for the Australian last season when he broke his wrist and missed a part of the season. Lawson will race from Austin onwards as RB look to stay ahead of MoneyGram Haas F1 Team in the Constructors Championship.
Speaking about Lawson, Mekies commented: “I’d also like to take this opportunity to welcome Liam. He already knows the Team well. He drove for us last season, and coped well under difficult circumstances, so it’ll be a natural transition. It’s great to see young talent from within the Red Bull family make the next step. We’re looking forward to getting our heads down and focusing on the rest of the season together.”