Ricciardo to leave RB with immediate effect as team get set for mid-season driver change

Daniel Ricciardo will leave RB with immediate effect, bringing his second stint in Formula 1 to an end. He will be replaced by New Zealander Liam Lawson for the final six races of the season.
The Australian returned to a Formula 1 race seat last year in Hungary with AlphaTauri and stayed on when they became RB for this campaign.
READ MORE: Lawson to replace Ricciardo at RB for remainder of the season
Ricciardo scored points on five occasions, including a superb fourth in the Sprint in Miami, and sits 14th in the drivers’ standings, 10 points behind team mate Yuki Tsunoda.
However, his form hasn’t been enough to convince the Red Bull family to keep him on. That makes last weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix – where he ended up 18th with the fastest lap – his final race.
It remains unclear what the future holds for Ricciardo, but it’s unlikely to involve a race seat on the 2025 Formula 1 grid.
One vacancy remains at Sauber/Audi, however, it is believed no talks have taken place with Valtteri Bottas the favourite to retain his seat.
This could spell the end of Ricciardo’s time in Formula 1, the Australian having clocked up eight wins, 32 podiums and 1329 points across 258 Grands Prix.
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His career has spanned 14 seasons, with P3 in the drivers’ championship in both 2014 and 2016 his best finish.
During that time, he drove for HRT, Toro Rosso, Red Bull, Renault, McLaren and RB.
Red Bull reserve Lawson has been named as Ricciardo’s replacement for the rest of the season, starting with the upcoming United States Grand Prix in Austin.
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