Liam Lawson on the awkward weekend that ended Ricciardo’s F1 run — and why the respect’s mutual
Twelve months on from the most uncomfortable weekend of his young career, Liam Lawson is back in Singapore with a clearer head and a full-time seat — but he hasn’t forgotten how it all started.
Last year’s Marina Bay race became the slow-motion trigger for a handover everyone in the paddock could see coming. Daniel Ricciardo answered a hailstorm of questions, no announcement was made, and Lawson, then the Racing Bulls reserve, knew he was about to be thrown into the car for the final six rounds. The timing was messy. The feeling, he admits now, was rough.
“It was obviously extremely uncomfortable,” Lawson said ahead of this weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix. “The only thing I took away from it was how much of a good person Daniel is and how he was to me through the whole journey — from when I first came into this seat, when he had his injury, to going back to reserve. We had a very good relationship and still do, honestly. My takeaway from that weekend was just how much respect I have for him.”
It’s been a whirlwind since. Ricciardo stepped away from racing earlier this year and resurfaced with Ford as a global racing ambassador — a neat twist given Ford’s incoming technical partnership with Red Bull for 2026. Inevitably, that’s sparked chatter about Ricciardo reappearing in the paddock in a different guise next season. Racing Bulls boss Laurent Mekies has been careful not to shut any doors on that front.
Lawson, meanwhile, has been busy building his own case. The New Zealander banked a career-best fifth in Baku last month and says the first message on his phone afterwards was from the man he replaced. “He sent me a nice message after Baku,” Lawson smiled. “He’s obviously on his own journey at the moment, but he’s just somebody who’s been very supportive. Obviously we’re from the same part of the world as well, so it’s something that we probably both understand. It’s quite difficult to get to this point and we’re both very lucky.”
Ricciardo’s year hasn’t been quiet, even in retirement. He made a first post-F1 public appearance on the Gold Coast, beard and all, talking openly about figuring out life beyond the cockpit, then was briefly hospitalised following a dirt-bike accident back in Australia. Lawson couldn’t resist a gentle jab. “He’s been out in the open a little bit,” he said, grinning. “Probably needs to shave his beard in most people’s opinions!”
As for whether Ricciardo should keep the return door ajar, Lawson swerved. He’s 23, entrenched in the grind of establishing himself; Ricciardo’s 36, finally exhaling after a decade-plus of peaks, troughs and more than a few elbows-out moments that defined an era. Different lanes. Different timelines.
“At some point it’s very personal. It’s whatever you decide,” Lawson said. “It’d be very hard for me to speak on behalf of his feelings because we’re at very different points of our careers.”
That honesty sums up a year that started with a heavy dose of awkward and has settled into something more human. Marina Bay can be like that. It’s a pressure cooker with glitter. For Lawson, last season’s drawn-out reveal was the cruel end of one story and the uncomfortable beginning of another. He handled it with restraint; Ricciardo, with grace.
Now, as the lights come back on under Singapore’s skyline, the picture is cleaner. Lawson’s earned his footing. Ricciardo’s found a new lane with Ford and, via Red Bull’s 2026 tie-up, could well pop up in F1 again — just not the way he used to. And if there’s a lesson in the way both navigated the handover, it’s that even in a sport as unforgiving as this one, there’s room for decency.
It doesn’t change the stakes at Racing Bulls. Results still rule. But the baton pass that began here a year ago didn’t need a press release to be clear — just two drivers handling a hard moment the right way.
