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PIT + PADDOCK DDOCK Lawson in as Red Bull f inally drops Ricciardo FORMULA 1 The RB Formula 1 team has replaced Daniel Ricciardo with reserve driver Liam Lawson for the six remaining rounds of the 2024 season. The 22-year-old New Zealander will take over starting at this month’s United States Grand Prix in what appears to be the end of the road for Ricciardo in F1. Lawson was set to walk as a free agent if Red Bull hadn’t offered him a seat by the end of September, and had shown enough potential in private testing and in the five grands prix in which he deputised for the injured Ricciardo last year. Last month’s Singapore GP looks set to have been the last for Ricciardo, who bows out of F1 after 257 starts, which yielded eight wins and three pole positions. As a Red Bull junior, Ricciardo made his F1 debut in 2011 for HRT, before moving on to Toro Rosso and then Red Bull’s main team in 2014. He took seven of his eight grand prix wins for the squad alongside Sebastian Vettel and then Max Verstappen before leaving for Renault and later McLaren, which dropped him at the end of the 2022 season after two frustrating years. Ricciardo was brought back as a Red Bull reserve last year and replaced a struggling Nyck de Vries halfway through 2023 at its satellite team. He was seen as a back-up option to put pressure on an unconvincing Sergio Perez. But, after failing to reach Red Bull’s target of consistently beating team-mate Yuki Tsunoda, it was clear that the 35-year-old Australian was no longer ticking all the boxes required to be reunited with Verstappen at the main team. Even so, POOL CONTENT BULL IMAGES/RED CAREZZEVOLI/GETTY Perez’s long-term future remains doubtful despite receiving a vote of confidence during the summer break. The Lawson announcement made no mention of 2025, with Red Bull keen to keep its options open within its driver line-ups across both squads. Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko told Autosport the team was interested in retaining Ricciardo in a non-driving role. “We have had a conversation and it is clear that we are interested,” said Marko. POOL CONTENT BULL IMAGES/RED /GETTY THOMPSON Singapore GP looks like end of the F1 road for Ricciardo… “He is one of the most popular Formula 1 drivers, especially in the United States, but he wants time to consider his entire future. I don’t think he will enter any other racing category. On the other hand, if he is no longer actively racing, will he still want these PR activities at all? It is a decision for him to decide how he wants to shape his future life.” Ricciardo said he was not keen on becoming a reserve again, with the prospect of a Red Bull return his …but could he keep a non-driving role? POOL CONTENT BULL IMAGES/RED CAREZZEVOLI/GETTY 4 AUTOSPORT.COM 3 OCTOBER 2024
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Renault’s first F1 project was landmark turbo RS01 of 1977 PIT + PADDOCK IMAGES MOTORSPORT Lawson with RB team chief Laurent Mekies main motivation upon his 2023 comeback. “Obviously, last year it made a lot of sense to keep one foot in the door and the big picture was to try and get back at Red Bull,” he explained. “I’m not going to restart my career. I’m also 35 and I still showed the pace that I’ve had over the years, but it’s obviously been evident that it’s been harder for me to show it every weekend. I also want to leave the sport with good memories of it and it doesn’t [become] just a grind and I’m out in Q1 every weekend.” Speaking to the F1 Nation podcast, Red Bull team boss Christian Horner said that Ricciardo’s exit had been triggered by a lack of consistency that had already tested Marko’s patience earlier in the campaign. “He started the season roughly, and then Miami was a weekend of two halves,” said Horner. “The Friday and Saturday morning was fantastic, and it looked like the Daniel of old defending against the Ferraris and outdriving the car. But then the Saturday afternoon and the Sunday were disastrous. So even around Barcelona [in June], Helmut wanted him out of the car, and there was already a lot of pressure on him there.” FILIP CLEEREN Renault brings an end to its F1 engine manufacturing FORMULA 1 Renault has decided to pull the plug on its long-time Formula 1 engine operations ahead of the new rules era for the 2026 season. Following months of speculation about the future of the French manufacturer, it announced on Monday that it would supply Alpine with engines for only one more season before an expected tie-up with Mercedes for the team as a customer. The company’s F1 engine factory at Viry-Chatillon near Paris will be transformed into an engineering centre to help contribute to cuttingedge technology of future Renault and Alpine cars. Alpine has insisted that all current staff at Viry would be guaranteed jobs under its new Hypertech Alpine guise. The alternative projects that have been marked out for Viry include the development of a future Alpine supercar, work on battery technology, and R&D on electric motor IMAGES /MOTORSPORT BLOXHAM S Advisor Briatore part of decision technologies. Viry will also continue to contribute to Renault’s other motorsport activities, including Alpine’s World Endurance Championship programme, Formula E and rally raid efforts for partner manufacturers, and customer projects. Despite abandoning its F1 engine, Alpine has said that it will not turn a blind eye to grand prix racing. “Following the consultation process and dialogue with the employee representatives at Viry-Chatillon, Alpine has decided to establish an F1 monitoring unit,” the statement said. “This unit will aim to maintain employees’ knowledge and skills in this sport and remain at the forefront of innovation for Hypertech Alpine’s various projects.” Renault’s plans to end its F1 engine project have led to vocal protests by Viry staff members, who travelled to the Italian Grand Prix to stage a peaceful protest and demanded talks with Renault CEO Luca de Meo. The employees felt that axing its F1 programme was unwarranted given the progress made for 2026, and that it would damage France’s technology industry. But the cost savings involved in switching to a customer supply as well as concerns over competitiveness have moved de Meo and new advisor Flavio Briatore to the decision. The momentous decision spells the end of a 47-year era of Renault engines on the F1 grid. Since 1979, its involvement has resulted in 178 grand prix wins, making Renault the third most successful engine manufacturer in F1 history. JONATHAN NOBLE 3 OCTOBER 2024 AUTOSPORT.COM 5

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PIT + PADDOCK

DDOCK

Lawson in as Red Bull f inally drops Ricciardo

FORMULA 1 The RB Formula 1 team has replaced Daniel Ricciardo with reserve driver Liam Lawson for the six remaining rounds of the 2024 season. The 22-year-old New Zealander will take over starting at this month’s United States Grand Prix in what appears to be the end of the road for Ricciardo in F1.

Lawson was set to walk as a free agent if Red Bull hadn’t offered him a seat by the end of September, and had shown enough potential in private testing and in the five grands prix in which he deputised for the injured Ricciardo last year. Last month’s Singapore GP looks set to have been the last for Ricciardo, who bows out of F1 after 257 starts, which yielded eight wins and three pole positions.

As a Red Bull junior, Ricciardo made his F1 debut in 2011 for HRT, before moving on to Toro Rosso and then Red Bull’s main team in 2014. He took seven of his eight grand prix wins for the squad alongside Sebastian Vettel and then Max Verstappen before leaving for Renault and later McLaren, which dropped him at the end of the 2022 season after two frustrating years.

Ricciardo was brought back as a Red Bull reserve last year and replaced a struggling Nyck de Vries halfway through 2023 at its satellite team. He was seen as a back-up option to put pressure on an unconvincing Sergio Perez. But, after failing to reach Red Bull’s target of consistently beating team-mate Yuki Tsunoda, it was clear that the 35-year-old Australian was no longer ticking all the boxes required to be reunited with Verstappen at the main team. Even so,

POOL

CONTENT

BULL

IMAGES/RED

CAREZZEVOLI/GETTY

Perez’s long-term future remains doubtful despite receiving a vote of confidence during the summer break. The Lawson announcement made no mention of 2025, with Red Bull keen to keep its options open within its driver line-ups across both squads.

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko told Autosport the team was interested in retaining Ricciardo in a non-driving role. “We have had a conversation and it is clear that we are interested,” said Marko.

POOL

CONTENT

BULL

IMAGES/RED

/GETTY

THOMPSON

Singapore GP looks like end of the F1 road for Ricciardo…

“He is one of the most popular Formula 1 drivers, especially in the United States, but he wants time to consider his entire future. I don’t think he will enter any other racing category. On the other hand, if he is no longer actively racing, will he still want these PR activities at all? It is a decision for him to decide how he wants to shape his future life.”

Ricciardo said he was not keen on becoming a reserve again, with the prospect of a Red Bull return his

…but could he keep a non-driving role?

POOL

CONTENT

BULL

IMAGES/RED

CAREZZEVOLI/GETTY

4 AUTOSPORT.COM 3 OCTOBER 2024

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