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Daniel Ricciardo‘s F1 career has just come to an end for a second time. The 35-year-old Formula 1 driver returned to the sport last year at AlphaTauri (which is now Visa Cash App RB Formula One Team) mid-season and remained through to the 2024 season. However, after some poor performance throughout this year, it has been rumored that Daniel may not make it through the end of the season, and on Thursday (September 26), the news was made official. Keep reading to find out more… “Everyone here at VCARB would like to thank Daniel for his hard work across the last two seasons with us… 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,” Team Principal Laurent Mekies shared in a statement. “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,” Daniel shared on social media. At last weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix, Daniel was consistently asked about his future this season past that race, as it was rumored a decision was to be made after Singapore. He remained hopeful, but admitted he knew it was not looking good. This year, Daniel racked up 12 points for the team. He is a previous eight-time grand prix winner, most of which have been with Red Bull. While Daniel is leaving RB again, reserve driver Liam Lawson is stepping up to Formula 1 to take his seat for the remainder of the season, as expected, which consists of six more races. “I’ve dreamed of being a Formula One driver since I was a kid, and I’m very happy to say that dream is finally coming true. I want to thank VCARB and Red Bull for this opportunity, I’m extremely grateful and excited to get to work 🤟” Liam wrote on Instagram. “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,” Laurent added in a statement. “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.” Liam made his Formula 1 debut in 2023, filling in for Daniel when he was out on injury for a few races. Last year, he placed two points for the team. Today’s news marks the second reserve driver to move up to F1 for the remainder of the season, following Franco Colapinto at Williams. There is still one racing seat available for the 2025 season at Kick Sauber, but the driver filling that spot is currently unknown.
