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Christian Horner has explained why Daniel Ricciardo was dropped in favour of Liam Lawson – and revealed he successfully prevented it happening sooner
Red Bull Formula 1 team boss Christian Horner has explained the decision to replace Daniel Ricciardo with Liam Lawson for the remainder of the 2024 F1 season, stating it was a strategic move to assess the team’s options for the future. This unexpected in-season swap was justified by the need to evaluate Lawson alongside Yuki Tsunoda over the remaining six races as a potential teammate for Max Verstappen in 2025. Horner confirmed that Ricciardo’s lack of consistency and performance led to the decision, despite initial expectations for him to support Sergio Perez in case of underperformance. Despite criticisms of the timing of the swap, Horner defended the move as necessary for Red Bull Racing’s long-term planning and driver development strategy, emphasizing the competitive nature of Formula 1 and the need for constant evaluation of talent within and outside the team’s driver pool.
