THE GUENTHER STEINER COLUMN: RB decision is tough on Ricciardo – but he knows in F1 you have to perform to survive

Red Bull and RB have kept the news agenda ticking over in the autumn break with their decision to replace Daniel Ricciardo with Liam Lawson during the season.

The news was a little bit expected. There have been talks for months now that Liam would either get the Red Bull seat or the RB seat at some stage.

There was also talk that Daniel would replace Checo Perez at Red Bull – and then it became clear he wouldn’t. So it’s not a big surprise that Liam is coming in. He did a good job last year when he jumped in for Daniel for five races.

I think Red Bull knew if they hadn’t have put Liam in a car next year, he could have gone somewhere else as he showed last year what he could do – and they didn’t want to lose him. Putting him in now helps them assess him for next year.

SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE - SEPTEMBER 21: Daniel Ricciardo of Australia and Visa Cash App RB looks on — Ricciardo's exit from RB was confirmed in the days after the Singapore Grand Prix

‘Now it’s time for the next chapter for Daniel’

Of course it’s tough on Daniel. He got a second opportunity after a difficult time at McLaren but it hasn’t worked out.

When he left McLaren, he was not in a good state. You could see he wasn’t the real Danny. He wasn’t himself. Maybe he came back too early, expecting he can come back like Fernando Alonso did, like Kevin Magnussen did, like Nico Hulkenberg did and it’ll all work out but it didn’t.

It’s easier to say than to do but a guy like him should be saying, ‘I won eight races in Formula 1, I had my time there – now it’s time for the next chapter’.

It just wasn’t meant to be. There’s no point putting him through this pain to prove something when you have already previously proved to the world that you can win races. He didn’t win those races by accident. He fought hard for every one of them.

Ricciardo will be a loss because a lot of people got to know him, especially through Netflix’s Drive to Survive. He brought a lot of new fans to Formula 1.

He is a big character and a nice guy as well. Everyone got on with him. But this is Formula 1 – and this is how it is. There are only 20 spaces on the grid. You have to perform to survive.

Daniel Ricciardo and RB part ways

‘Liam is well prepared to come in’

Liam has been very patient waiting on the bench – and now the wait has been worth it. He’s done a lot of sim work, he knows the team very well and has those five races under his belt from last year.

He’s a smart guy, he’s a bit like Oscar Piastri. He waits for his opportunity, doesn’t open his mouth, is not critical about things, just gets on and learns about things. I think he’s well prepared to come in.

‘Sometimes you need to take a risk, sometimes it just doesn’t work out’

Deciding to change a driver, whether it’s during the season or for the next campaign, is really difficult.

From my experience at Haas, I know that the longer you wait, the more difficult it gets. Everyone gives you their opinion and that makes it harder, more painful.

It’s never nice to tell a driver they are out. Sometimes you need to take a risk, sometimes it just doesn’t work out. It isn’t easy.

ZANDVOORT, NETHERLANDS - AUGUST 25: Liam Lawson of New Zealand and Visa Cash App RB looks on in the — Lawson will return to the grid with RB for the final six races of the 2024 season

Taking on a new driver means you’re swapping a known quantity for the unknown. You don’t know what you’re going to get.

For Red Bull with Liam, they were impressed with the five races he did this year, which helped them make the decision to bring him in.

It was the same with Daniel when he replaced Nyck de Vries mid-season last year. He impressed them in the reserve role and then a Pirelli tyre test. It wasn’t 100% that he would be better, but the hope was there.

It’s all about your gut instinct. Yes, you have the information, but in the end it’s down to the gut to make the decision.

They put Daniel in instead of Nyck, but obviously it wasn’t the right choice as they took him out mid-season. Someone made a wrong decision there. They could have put Liam in then.

With hindsight, you know. I’m not trying to blame someone who made a bad decision. It’s just one of those things. It’s a gut feeling. At the time I think they thought Daniel has won races and that he should have recovered from his years when he was unhappy at McLaren – but it didn’t work out like you think it works out. It’s one of those things.

The driver change is also about the bigger picture. Red Bull have four seats across their works team and sister team RB.

By bringing in Liam, they can assess him against Yuki Tsunoda and see if he’s good enough to step up to Red Bull if they need to replace Sergio Perez.

Ultimately, your responsibility as a team boss is to do everything in your power to make sure you have the best possible driver in the car. That means sometimes, you must make tough calls. Sometimes they work out, sometimes they don’t. That’s the challenge.