Liam Lawson looks back on 'brutal' 2024 season following Daniel Ricciardo's replacement

Liam Lawson's journey to claiming a full-time Formula 1 seat in 2025 has been far from normal. The young New Zealander broke through as Daniel Ricciardo's mid-season stand-in, delivering exceptional performances. But his time out of the car for most of the 2024 season left him with mixed feelings.


Lawson's initial experience of F1 was in 2023 when he replaced Daniel Ricciardo at AlphaTauri—now Racing Bulls—after the Australian suffered a wrist injury during the Dutch Grand Prix. During his five-race stint, Lawson impressed, scoring points with a ninth-place finish in Singapore.
Even with his good performances, Ricciardo took back his seat in Austin and was kept along with Yuki Tsunoda for the 2024 season. The veteran, however, found it hard to keep up with his teammate, with Tsunoda consistently beating him in qualifying and race finishes. Ricciardo only scored 12 points in the first 18 races against Tsunoda's 22.

Racing Bulls took the unusual step of sacking Ricciardo following the Singapore Grand Prix, making way for Lawson to return to the grid. Although some, such as past F1 winner Damon Hill, were critical of Red Bull's management of Ricciardo's departure, others, such as Eddie Jordan, felt the decision was warranted in light of Ricciardo's poor results.

For Lawson, sitting on the sidelines for the majority of the 2024 season was a difficult experience. Although he showed he was good enough when given the opportunity, he had to wait patiently while Ricciardo and Tsunoda clung to their seats.
“The possibility of anything in this sport slips away, all the time,” he told GQ sports. “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 didn't hesitate to make a splash when he came back. In Austin, he recorded an excellent ninth place and then backed it up in the rain-affected Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
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With Ricciardo's exit confirmed Lawson has earned himself a full-time drive for the 2025 season. His impressive performances in limited starts have shown his promise, and Racing Bulls will be eager to observe how he does over a full season.