Liam Lawson opens up on the guilt he felt replacing Daniel Ricciardo: "He never said a bad word"

Lawson describes the Zandvoort call-up and the message Ricciardo sent him

Liam Lawson has detailed the internal conflict he felt as he was chosen to replace Daniel Ricciardo at Racing Bulls following a string of disappointing results from the Australian driver.

Lawson made his Formula 1 debut at the 2023 Dutch Grand Prix, replacing an injured Ricciardo after a crash broke his wrist. The team, branded as AlphaTauri at the time, celebrated as he scored his maiden points in Singapore where he finished ninth.

"Daniel’s crashed," Lawson told the Gypsy Tales podcast, reflecting on the moment he was called up to drive by Red Bull's sister team. "I see him get out of the car and I see that it’s not right. I’m standing in the Red Bull Racing garage because I was doing more reserve work for them at the time.

"Ten minutes before the end of the session I get a text from AlphaTauri: 'You need to be at the garage straight after the session.'

"I knew exactly what it was and couldn’t wrap my head around it: if this is happening, it’s P3, it’s one session, it’s wet all weekend, it’s Zandvoort. I started thinking, of all the races — then I told myself: 'No, Liam, I would have wished for this more than anything.' I can’t complain about what track I’m going to drive."

The New Zealand native continued, adding that "quite a few people weren't wanting - and I can understand it - a rookie to jump in at Zandvoort in those circumstances."

Knowing Ricciardo was injured at this point, he realised that he would either receive the call, or the team had chosen someone else to drive.

"So if they weren’t telling me I was driving, it was because they were deciding who was driving," he said. "I found Helmut [Marko] talking to Franz [Tost] at Red Bull. He looked at me and said, ‘You ready?’ I said, ‘Yep.’ That was the end of the conversation. I walked away thinking, ‘Holy smokes, dude.’”

Daniel Ricciardo, McLaren

Photo by: Clive Mason / Getty Images

The following year saw him replace Ricciardo from the United States Grand Prix onwards. And while the Honey Badger is still connected to F1 through Ford Racing, he's since confirmed his retirement as a driver in the championship.

The two drivers were close, with Ricciardo being "so good" to Lawson as he fought for a seat on the grid.

"That’s the thing about the sport — you come in replacing somebody. Especially someone like Daniel, who was so good to me through all of this," he said.

Even when Lawson replaced the fan favourite, Ricciardo has supported him entirely.

"Through all of it he never said a bad word and was always good to me. That shows the kind of person that he is."

The now Racing Bulls driver admitted he wasn't sure how Ricciardo would react to him after he took his seat.

"I went there not knowing if he thought I was the worst guy ever. Straight away he spoke to me and said, ‘I want you to know there’s nothing against you through this. I know it’s nothing to do with you and it’s completely separate from that.’

"Since then, every time I’ve called for advice he’s been completely open and has given advice on everything I’ve asked in the last couple of years.”