The secret reason why Red Bull were forced to sack Daniel Ricciardo from his seat at Racing Bulls has finally been revealed.
After 13 years in the sport Ricciardo was sacked by his most recent Formula One team Racing Bulls in September following the Singapore Grand Prix.
The Australian driver has been replaced by Liam Lawson, who deputised for Ricciardo last season when he broke his wrist at the Dutch GP.
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And now, the true reason why Red Bull decided to replace Ricciardo with the 22-year-old has finally been revealed.
According to insiders speaking to F1 website thejudge13, in order to ensure that Lawson would not sign for a rival team, Red Bull had to guarantee the New Zealand driver a seat on the grid for the 2025 season by September.
That is because there is a secret clause in Lawson’s contract, which reportedly set a strict deadline by which Red Bull had to commit to keeping him at the team as a permanent driver.
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Sauber, who next season will rebrand as Audi, were reportedly closely monitoring the situation with hopes to bring Lawson to the team, forcing Red Bull's hand.
Furthermore, with concerns over Sergio Perez's performances over the past two seasons and star driver Max Verstappen's future with the team looking increasingly uncertain, Red Bull were keen to secure a driver they see as their future number one.
The report also puts to bed rumours that Ricciardo had been kept in the dark about his future with Racing Bull ahead of the decision to replace him.
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According to sources, Red Bull had informed Ricciardo of their decision during the weekend of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, weeks before his final race in Singapore.
However, while the 35-year-old was aware that he was going to be replaced, the exact timing remained uncertain.
Posting on Instagram after the news of his departure was confirmed, Ricciardo wrote: "I’ve loved this sport my whole life. It’s wild and wonderful and been a journey.
"To the teams and individuals that have played their part, thank you. To the fans who love the sport sometimes more than me haha thank you. It’ll always have its highs and lows but it’s been fun and truth be told I wouldn’t change it.
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"Until the next adventure."
Topics: Daniel Ricciardo, F1, Formula 1, Red Bull Racing
Ben McCrum