Inside Scoop: Liam Lawson’s Two-Week Wait to Replace Daniel Ricciardo and the Emotional Toll of F1’s High-Stakes Decisions

Liam Lawson discusses his feelings about taking over for Daniel Ricciardo and explains why the situation was challenging in his first interview since his F1 role was confirmed.

Liam Lawson has disclosed that he was aware of his upcoming role as Daniel Ricciardo's replacement at the RB F1 team for approximately a fortnight.

Ricciardo was anticipated to be replaced following the Singapore Grand Prix, but it wasn't until Thursday that Red Bull officially revealed Lawson would take over for the last six races of the 2024 season.

In his initial interview with Newstalk ZB following the announcement of his F1 comeback, the 22-year-old revealed that he had two weeks to get ready.

Lawson mentioned, "It's been on my radar for roughly the past two weeks."

"However, until it is publicly available, it doesn’t seem definite, and I can't share it with anyone."

Lawson mentioned that this had been the intended direction for quite some time, and it seemed to be the natural progression.

"Clearly, I had a deadline that had to be met."

"In essence, it had always been heading in this direction. A few weeks back, they informed me that this would definitely occur, and shortly thereafter, it was finalized."

When questioned about his emotions while being in the Red Bull garage in Singapore, aware that he would be replacing Ricciardo, the New Zealander responded: "To be honest, it didn't feel good."

The weekend in Singapore was far from pleasant for me, mainly because we were all aware of the upcoming events. Moreover, Daniel has consistently treated me well in many respects.

"While driving last year and this season, I've never experienced a sense of rivalry with him. He never gave me that impression, so it wasn't a pleasant experience."

"Clearly, I only have one chance at Formula 1, and that opportunity has arrived. I'm truly thankful for this chance, but now I must fully embrace it."

Lawson disclosed that Ricciardo dealt with the impending termination of his contract with remarkable composure.

"He told me the exact same thing and advised, 'you should take full advantage of it.' He performed exceptionally well over the weekend," he mentioned.

"To be frank, I greatly admire how he managed the entire situation, as I find it hard to envision what that experience was like."

"It's a situation much like the one I experienced last year, but the person involved now is much more well-known and in the spotlight than I am. Consequently, he is fielding a lot of inquiries and attempting to navigate them. He handled it exceptionally well."

Lawson participated in a Formula 1 test session during the summer, where he got behind the wheel of a 2022 AlphaTauri at Monza.

During that period, the outing sparked rumors that Red Bull was getting Lawson ready to step in due to doubts surrounding Sergio Perez’s future.

Lawson revealed that his position as an F1 driver was not guaranteed, no matter the outcome of the tests.

“They were evaluation days meant to place a significant amount of pressure on me,” he stated.

"It was for an occasion like this, to bring me in – similar to last year – during the middle of the season."

"They had to be sure that I could deliver to some extent. Those days were definitely for assessment."

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