Daniel Ricciardo responds to Liam Lawson TPC test as RB rumours swirl

Daniel Ricciardo has said Liam Lawson’s upcoming testing of a previous F1 car [TPC] test is not a source of concern for him, with the RB driver instead looking to “control the controllables.”

Rumours over Ricciardo’s future at RB have swirled after a mixed season so far, with Red Bull reserve driver Lawson searching for a way onto the F1 2025 grid.

Daniel Ricciardo responds to upcoming Liam Lawson TPC outing

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher

Lawson is scheduled to test a 2022 car in the coming weeks as Red Bull assess him for a potential F1 2025 promotion, with Helmut Marko revealing earlier this year that the New Zealander will be free to sign for another team if Red Bull do not take up their option on him for next year.

The RB seat currently occupied by Ricciardo is the only one uncontracted in the Red Bull stable for next season, with Sergio Perez and Yuki Tsunoda both earning new contracts last month.

While Ricciardo’s form has improved of late, with a strong Canadian Grand Prix followed up by points in Austria, the former Red Bull and McLaren driver acknowledged that he needs to “kick ass” in order to adjust the “narrative” in his favour moving forward.

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Ricciardo was brought back to a race seat last season in place of Nyck de Vries after impressing in a Pirelli tyre test for Red Bull following last year’s British Grand Prix, but is wishing Lawson all the best in his upcoming outing in an F1 2022 car.

When asked if Lawson’s upcoming test is a source of worry for him, Ricciardo told media including PlanetF1.com: “No, also I believe it’s been planned for a while.

“But in any case, it’s one of those ones where I think also the older you get, you understand that, [you] control the controllables.

“If Liam goes and has an amazing test, 100 per cent good for Liam – I’ve got no control over that. Do I wish him poorly? Not at all.

“I think, obviously, currently I’m in the race seat, so I’ve got to do everything I can to control the things I can and kick ass here.

“If I kick ass at Silverstone, then I think the narrative can change.

“So I think that’s where I obviously have to own that and be on top of what I can do, and I’m sure that qualifying fifth in Montreal made Helmut smile. If I can do that a few more times, then I’m sure I’ll make him smile.

“So, it’s still so heavily on performance and [I’ll] just keep focused on that.”

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