It didn’t take long for the Australian to return to the sidelines as he suffered a broken wrist during the Dutch Grand Prix. Reserve driver Liam Lawson was recruited to drive the second AlphaTauri alongside Yuki Tsunoda since Ricciardo was excluded for five races.

Lawson put in some impressive performances during this time, notably in Singapore where he scored his first F1 points with a ninth place finish. Despite this, Ricciardo returned to his seat at the United States Grand Prix and was signed to the team for 2024 as they renamed R.B..

Lawson was considered for the full-time seat, but was demoted to his role as reserve pilot – he will replace him later. Ricciardo after his dismissal at the Singapore Grand Prix. But according to Pedro Boesel, there was only one driver Red Bull I had discussions with which no one understood anything.

Red Bull had “chosen” Enzo Fittipaldi to race with RB in 2024 after a “meeting”

Boesel is an investor and advisor to Enzo Fittipaldi, the grandson of two-time F1 champion Emerson Fittipaldi. The two entered into a partnership in 2023 when the Brazilian was part of the Red Bull junior team.

The 23-year-old is currently in his third full season in Formula 2 where he sits 12th in the standings with two rounds remaining. Clément Novalak called Fittipaldi “unreal” Instagram after securing his first and only victory of 2024 so far in Jeddah.

Fittipaldi lost his place in the Red Bull academy at the end of 2023 after the team reduced its driver capacity, but he continued to be sponsored by the Austrian energy drink giant.

According to Boesel via Motorsport Brasil, Fittipaldi had agreed to sign with RB for the 2024 season after a meeting with the team, but the deal ended up falling through.

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“Not many people know this, but last year he had a meeting with a high-ranking Red Bull Summit,” he said. “He was called for this meeting and there they said that they had chosen him to drive this year, like in AlphaTauri, in Racing Bulls.

“Then he tested Formula 1, that didn’t appear in the press either.”

Who will race on the Red Bull teams in the 2025 season?

RB has the final seat to be filled for the 2025 season, and it is highly anticipated that Lawson will be signed full-time given his impressive performances thus far. The Kiwi driver finished ninth in Austin and his final time was at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.

But with That of Sergio Pérez In difficulty at Red Bull, the Mexican could find himself excluded from the team next season. It will cost Red Bull £15.7m to release Perez of his contract as the Milton Keynes-based side consider their options for 2025.

If Perez is sacked, it is expected that one of the RB drivers – Lawson or Tsunoda – will get the green light to drive with Red Bull alongside Max Verstappen, with Lawson considered ‘number one’ option to replace the Mexican.

Franco Colapinto has been strongly linked with a move to Red Bull after Christian Horner confirmed his interest in the Argentinian in Sao Paulo. The 21-year-old has impressed at Williams in 2024 and is looking to continue his development in F1 next year.

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