Daniel Ricciardo was just getting ready to get back into his stride, having made a mid-season return to F1 in 2023.
The Australian had been paid off by McLaren not to race in 2023 following a poor 2022, with Oscar Piastri signing instead, as Ricciardo took some time out whilst serving as the third and reserve driver for Red Bull.
However, at AlphaTauri, Nyck de Vries was struggling for form and results. He managed a 12th in Monaco, but the Dutchman was fast using up his supply of Helmut Marko's goodwill, with things coming to a head after the British GP.
de Vries was removed from the seat, with Ricciardo making his return at the Hungarian GP for two races before the summer break, finishing 13th in Budapest and 16th in Belgium before the break.
But upon his return, Ricciardo would quickly be sidelined again, handing the next cab off Red Bull's rank his long-awaited chance.
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Liam Lawson replaces Daniel Ricciardo
During FP2, Piastri crashed at the long, banked Turn 3, with Ricciardo following him through the corner moments later.
Faced with a choice of ramming the stricken McLaren broadside or hitting the barrier, he chose the latter, but in the impact against the tyre wall, he broke the metacarpal bone in his left hand.
The injury left him unable to compete in the remainder of the weekend, and as he flew to Barcelona for surgery, Lawson's chance had come.
Lawson had performed well in the 2022 FIA F2 season, taking four wins as he took third in the standings, and had also finished second in DTM in 2021 and was engrossed in a title fight in Japanese Super Formula.
He was thrust in at the deep end and qualified last, but in a crazy, topsy-turvy red-flagged rain-hit race, he finished a strong 13th, just eight seconds off a point as Ricciardo's injury lay-off began.
Lawson would deputise until the Qatar GP for a total of five races, scoring points with P9 in Singapore before Ricciardo returned.
It was effectively a toss-up between the pair as to who would partner with Yuki Tsunoda for 2024, but Ricciardo's experience got him the nod as Lawson was forced to make do with reserve duties once again.
However, following Ricciardo's lack of form, he was dropped, for the final time, after the 2024 Singapore GP, with Lawson coming in from Austin, taking a P9 finish on his return to the seat.
Also interesting:
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