Breaking: Red Bull finally confirm Ricciardo decision

Daniel Ricciardo's Formula 1 career appears over as he has been axed by RB with immediate effect.

Liam Lawson will replace Ricciardo as Yuki Tsunoda's team-mate for the remainder of the season, with an announcement expected imminently.

Ricciardo's departure was confirmed via social media, with a post on X, with team principal Laurent Mekies paying tribute.

It spells the end of Ricciardo's F1 comeback after being handed a lifeline by Red Bull following his release by McLaren at the end of 2022, two years into a three-year deal.

Initially taken on as a third driver by the team he served for five years from 2014-18, and with whom he won seven of his eight grands prix, Ricciardo replaced Nyck de Vries at AlphaTauri following a successful runout in Red Bull's all-conquering RB19 in July last year as the team tested Pirelli tyres at Silverstone.

But on the third event of his return, Ricciardo shattered the little finger bone in his left hand after a crash in practice for the Dutch GP as he attempted to avoid the stranded McLaren of fellow Australian Oscar Piastri.

That resulted in Lawson being promoted for what proved to be a five-race cameo, delivering a superb performance on his debut at Zandvoort, and significantly in securing ninth place in the Singapore GP.

Lawson has been destined for a full-time seat since then, and in combination with a poor season from Ricciardo this year, Red Bull and RB have finally decided to make a change.

It brings the curtain down on Ricciardo's F1 career that began midway through the 2011 campaign when he drove for the defunct HRT/Hispania outfit before two seasons with Toro Rosso and his eventual promotion to Red Bull before a move to Renault and then McLaren.