The decision to replace Daniel Ricciardo with Liam Lawson from this weekend’s Grand Prix in Austin is not entirely unanimous in the paddocks.
Jenson Button for example, the 2009 world champion, confided that he did not approve of the choice to remove Ricciardo with immediate effect.
Both in substance and form, the Briton generally criticizes the tendency of Red Bull/RB F1 to change drivers during the season.
“It’s a bit weird, because there’s only one team that changes its drivers in the middle of the season, removes the drivers from the seat in the middle of the season, after three races, or six races. And this team is Red Bull, and AlphaTauri [RB] » tackles the former McLaren F1 driver.
“It’s unusual, and I’ve never seen that in my career, unless someone was putting the car into the wall every race and we were like, ‘You know what? We can’t afford to keep you in the car.’ »
“So it’s weird. I’ve never been comfortable with that, I’ve always felt that a driver deserves a full season to really show what he can do, because that’s it, right? »
“It’s a championship, and that’s how many points you can score over the course of this season, not just halfway through – but they’ve always done things differently. »
“And, to be fair, they put Daniel in the car after a few races as well, so it’s a complicated situation. »
Jenson Button still recognizes that Daniel Ricciardo’s performances, especially since his arrival at McLaren F1, left something to be desired. And it’s a real mystery to him.
“I find it difficult to understand the results he has achieved recently, because he is an exceptional talent. It really is! »
Jenson Button particularly remembers Daniel Ricciardo’s first season with Red Bull, in 2014…
“To come to Red Bull when he did and to take on Sebastian Vettel, to beat him, was incredible… to take on Max and be as competitive as he was, that was incredible too. Truly incredible”he continues.
“And then, we also saw peaks of performance at Renault, you know, before it was Alpine. It took him a while to adapt, but then he was extremely fast against Hulk [Nico Hulkenberg]which we all esteem very much. »
“Success just hasn’t materialized at McLaren and AlphaTauri, which is a real shame. And why? I don’t know. »
Daniel Ricciardo is certainly no longer young, but by taking the counter-examples of Fernando Alonso or Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button sweeps away the excuse of time.
“It’s not his age, he’s not old”assure Button. “Look at Fernando Alonso, what he can do. »
“So the only person who probably knows is Daniel, and I pity him, because after being so high for a lot of your career and then falling down in the last few years, it’s tough. »
“But I think, from what I’ve heard, he’s made peace with it. He has his whole life ahead of him. »
“I know there are so many things to do after Formula 1, fun things that he didn’t get to do when he was in F1,” continues Jenson Button, who speaks from experience!
“But it always hurts a little when it’s not your decision to leave – and he’ll feel that pain for a while – but then he’ll get over it and everything will be fine. »
“He’s such a personality. He has such a career ahead of him, whether it’s racing, television, stand-up, whatever it is, Daniel will find the path that suits him. »
