He replaced Nyck de Vries for VCARB (then named AlphaTauri) 10 races into last season but is now set to be booted out of the paddock again in the coming days. Ricciardo could technically stay in F1 as a reserve but says he has no desire to do so.
And the 35-year-old said: “No [I’m not interested in being a Red Bull reserve]. Obviously, last year it made a lot of sense to keep one foot in the door and obviously the big picture was to try and get back at Red Bull.
“I think if I was to do that again, there’s not really [much point]. I’m not going to restart my career. I’m also 35 and I still showed the pace that I’ve had over the years.
“But it’s obviously been evident that it’s been harder for me to show it every weekend. And maybe that is a little bit of an age thing.
“I think it definitely came easier for me when I was 25 as opposed to 35, but also maybe the competition is just increasing. So maybe it’s just that the level’s increased and it’s probably a tall task for me to fight at that level week in, week out.
“I can’t be disappointed with that. I’m happy that, once upon a time, I could do it and that was a lot of fun.
“And if this is it, I want to make sure I walk away or leave the sport with good memories of it and it doesn’t get into that place where it’s just a grind and I’m out in Q1 every weekend. That’s obviously not fun.”
After Ricciardo’s return last season, he broke his hand in just his second Grand Prix back in Belgium. He missed the next five rounds of the year and Lawson temporarily stepped in and impressed in his five-race spell.
Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko confirmed last month that the New Zealander, 22, is “not available” to other teams for loan. That indicates Lawson will be picked as Tsunoda’s team-mate for 2025 with the view to competing for a more competitive seat at Red Bull in the long-term.
Isack Hadjar could replace Lawson as Red Bull‘s reserve. The French-Algerian junior racer is second in the F2 standings, just 4.5 points behind leader Gabriel Bortoleto who himself could join Sauber for 2025.