Liam Lawson makes ‘brutal’ admission about watching Daniel Ricciardo in 2024 F1 season

Liam Lawson made his 11 Grand Prix starts in F1 so far as Daniel Ricciardo’s replacement. Now, he will be on the grid in 2025 as a full-time driver.

The Kiwi driver was afforded his chance in F1 in 2023 after Ricciardo broke his wrist in a crash at the Dutch Grand Prix. In his five races for AlphaTauri – now Racing Bulls – Lawson made an impression, scoring points in Singapore by finishing ninth.

Ricciardo returned to his seat in Austin and later signed for the 2024 season alongside Yuki Tsunoda. The Aussie was expected to beat his teammate to potentially put himself in the conversation to replace Sergio Perez and return to Red Bull.

However, the 34-year-old could not get the better of Tsunoda, who regularly outperformed him in qualifying and the races. Ricciardo managed just 12 points from the first 18 Grand Prix compared to his teammate’s 22.

Racings Bulls cut ties with Ricciardo after the Singapore Grand Prix, handing his seat back to Lawson for the remainder of the season. Many people including Damon Hill criticised Red Bul’s handling of Ricciardo’s exit as they believed he should have finished the season.

Eddie Jordan felt bringing in Lawson was the ‘right decision’ for Racing Bulls given Ricciardo’s lack of results. But the Kiwi driver has himself admitted that 2024 was not an ‘enjoyable experience’.

Liam Lawson says watching 2024 was ‘brutal’ amid Daniel Ricciardo’s axe from Racing Bulls

Lawson got his chances in F1 in 2023 and 2024 through fortuitous circumstances. Ricciardo’s injury in Zandvoort and sacking in Singapore a year later gave the 23-year-old his opportunity – but he proved his worth both times.

The Kiwi driver instantly made an impact in 2024 with ninth place on his return in Austin. He repeated this feat with an impressive performance in the rain-soaked Sao Paulo Grand Prix.

Lawson was close to the pace of Tsunoda while Ricciardo had consistently struggled to keep up with him. Watching on from the sidelines as Red Bull’s reserve driver was ‘brutal’ by the 23-year-old’s own admission.

READ MORE: Who is Red Bull Racing F1 driver Liam Lawson? Everything you need to know

Speaking with GQ Sports, Lawson knew that Ricciardo’s downfall would be the ‘only way’ he would get a seat in F1. He did not enjoy watching the Aussie lose his seat even if it pathed the way for him to land a full-time contract.

“The possibility of anything in this sport slips away, all the time,” he 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.”

Liam Lawson is the next to face Max Verstappen at Red Bull – but will he be next to fail?

After impressing Red Bull in 2024, Lawson was given the second seat at the Milton Keynes-based outfit next to four-time defending champion Max Verstappen.

Surprisingly, Ricciardo was the only driver to congratulate Lawson on landing the Red Bull seat. The former might have been expected to hold some kind of grudge towards the latter.

Lawson has a mammoth task ahead of him in 2025. Going up against Verstappen at Red Bull has proven difficult for his previous teammates – Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon and Perez have all been dropped by the team after failing to match the Dutchman.

It is feared the Kiwi driver could be next. Lawson is only signed for 2025 and given Red Bull’s notorious nature of dropping drivers mid-season., he will have to be on the ball straight away to keep his F1 career alive.

Karun Chandhok is worried Lawson will be ‘burnt out’ at Red Bull this year. It is a big step to make for the 23-year-old – only time will tell if the team made the right decision with their second driver.