Ricciardo receives staggering defence after Lawson Red Bull axe

Liam Lawson's abrupt dismissal from the main Red Bull team is the second time in just six months the Milton Keynes squad has handed down a brutal driver decision.

Whilst the New Zealander has been marched back to Racing Bulls after just two rounds alongside Max Verstappen - to the advantage of Yuki Tsunoda, who now gets his long-coveted promotion to the six-time constructors' champions - he was the beneficiary of the previous move, when Daniel Ricciardo was jettisoned out of the RB seat following last season's Singapore Grand Prix.

The Australian rejoined the team after a difficult stint at McLaren with aspirations of returning to the drive he sacrificed to sign with Renault for the 2019 season, but it ended with his F1 career coming to a sudden conclusion.

Now, with Lawson's struggles laid bare, some are beginning to question whether the 23-year-old should have been parachuted in at all, which was to the demise of Ricciardo.

In a poll recently conducted by RacingNews365, almost four-fifths of respondents agreed that Lawson being dropped back to Racing Bulls is proof Red Bull made a mistake in firing the 35-year-old last Autumn.

Just over 20 per cent of those who voted felt that Ricciardo's time in F1 was done anyway, suggesting he would not have fared better than Lawson next to Verstappen in the Australian and Chinese Grands Prix.

The full results from the latest RacingNews365 poll can be found below. Let us know what you think in the comments section.