Liam Lawson is set to replace Daniel Ricciardo at Visa Cash App RB for the last six races of the Formula One season.
Anthony Davidson believes this is the right move for Red Bull Racing.
Ricciardo had replaced Nyck de Vries in 2023 at AlphaTauri, aiming to secure a spot at Red Bull. Unfortunately, he didn’t make the most of this opportunity. Even after a summer break review, Sergio Perez kept his place on the senior team.
Ricciardo’s injury during the 2023 Dutch Grand Prix also played a role in his departure. This gave Lawson a chance to race in F1. “That moment was really pivotal to Daniel’s future at the team and his existence in Formula 1 as a whole, because it allowed a young driver hungry, snapping at his heels that chance to get behind the wheel,” Davidson mentioned on Sky Sports F1 Podcast.
Better Decision for Red Bull
Davidson thinks Red Bull made the right choice. “Since then he [Lawson] has probably been pestering Helmut Marko, pestering: ‘See the job I did, I can do better than that, put me back in the car, otherwise I’m off’.”
“If it wasn’t him moving aside now for Lawson, I fear that they, well, for their sake, they would have lost him. They would have lost Lawson to another team, maybe Audi, who knows. But it is somebody he needed to go somewhere and I think Red Bull could sense that,” Davidson added.
In 2023, Lawson raced in five Grands Prix and scored two points at Singapore. Fans might feel mixed about Ricciardo’s exit but excited about Lawson’s potential.
Lawson will face a tough challenge after the autumn break at COTA due to an expected 10-place grid penalty for engine changes .
What do you think about these changes?
