Red Bull "Will Have a Problem" If Daniel Ricciardo Starts Performing Well
Credits: IMAGO / PanoramiC

Red Bull, a team stacked with top talents, is facing the luxury problem of trying to fit three drivers in two V-CARB seats. The latter – Red Bull’s sister team – currently has a pairing of Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda, but another driver who is waiting patiently on the sidelines is Liam Lawson.

Ricciardo’s season hasn’t been particularly good, which makes Lawson the favorite to take over from the Australian driver. But according to Joe Saward’s blog, if Ricciardo starts putting in top-level performances, Red Bull “will have a problem.” 

The problem won’t affect Red Bull performance-wise. But, Lawson could choose to turn to another team to help kickstart his full-time F1 career, which puts Red Bull at risk of losing out on the talented New Zealander. “He will be free to go. And that rather defeats the purpose of spending huge sums of money on junior teams.”, wrote Saward.

Saward points money out because teams spend millions on grooming young talents. Some make it to the top and some don’t. However, Lawson, one of the most exciting youngsters has been tipped to succeed. And Red Bull has labeled him as ‘one for the future’.

Helmut Marko, who heads the junior academy and Team Principal Christian Horner could be forced with an extremely difficult task at hand while deciding V-CARB’s future lineup along with their boss Laurent Mekies. One driver, whose future remains sorted is Yuki Tsunoda.

Yuki Tsunoda kept aside from the Liam Lawson vs Daniel Ricciardo dilemma

While Lawson and Ricciardo continue tussling for the seat (not directly), Tsunoda will continue with his V-CARB stint even after the season ends. The Japanese driver will drive for the Faenza-based team until the end of 2025. But, what happens after that, remains to be seen.

Tsunoda is heavily backed by Honda, which supplies power units to both Red Bull and V-CARB. From 2026 onwards, Honda joins hands with Aston Martin, leaving Tsunoda with no real backing at Red Bull.

In such a case, the 24-year-old will have to let his driving do the talking. If he performs well, like he has been in 2024, V-CARB could look to extend his deal. At the same time, impressing other teams will also be on Tsunoda’s mind.