As Formula 1 powers towards the mid-season break, rumours rise and speculation mounts about drivers who may not return after the summer recess. Daniel Ricciardo, out of contract and still scratching to find the sizzling form that made him one of the sport’s biggest stars only a few years ago, is the name dripping from everyone’s lips. That’s especially true if the lips belong to Helmut Marko, who got the paddock buzzing with the proclamation that Red Bull reserve driver Liam Lawson would be in Ricciardo’s RB seat “soon”.
Every qualifying session and race from the 2024 FIA Formula One World ChampionshipTM LIVE in 4K. New to Kayo? Start Your Free Trial Today > Whispers of Ricciardo’s imminent demise intensified when both Red Bull Racing principal Christian Horner and RB CEO Peter Bayer notably danced around the question of a mid-season switch-out for the F1 veteran during a press conference at the Austrian Grand Prix. What happened next, though, should serve to sharpen focus on the debate.
For the third week in a row Ricciardo was RB’s better performer, falling fractionally short of a Q3 berth and going on to score points for the second time in the last three rounds in a gutsy performance that required him to spend the race defending ahead of Pierre Gasly’s faster Alpine, a mission he executed flawlessly. “It’s a nice feeling to fight and drive a clean race and obviously bring a couple of points home for the team when I think deep down we’ll look back at.
