Ricciardo replacement confirmed for Abu Dhabi GP drive in official statement

Daniel Ricciardo's replacement has been confirmed for a drive during the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at Visa Cash App RB in an official statement.

Following 23 thrilling races in 2024, the Formula 1 season will come to a close at Yas Marina with one title yet to be decided.

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McLaren and Ferrari will go head-to-head for the final time to determine the destination of this year's constructors' championship.

Only 21 points separate the two teams after Lando Norris suffered a penalty at the Qatar GP, which saw him finish the race in P10.

RB prospect gets chance to impress

Elsewhere on the grid, Alpine currently occupy P6 in the constructors' ahead of Haas, while RB remain firmly in the mix in eighth position.

Heading into this weekend's event, the latter has opted to make a change to their driver lineup, with Red Bull junior driver Ayumu Iwasa set to replace his compatriot Yuki Tsunoda for Friday's FP1 session.

The Japanese racer got his first taste of F1 in Suzuka earlier this year, having replaced Ricciardo in FP1 at the Japanese GP this year where he raced alongside Tsunoda.

Ricciardo has since departed the team, but now Iwasa will get a second opportunity in Abu Dhabi to impress behind the wheel at the junior Red Bull team.

This time Liam Lawson will act as a benchmark to compare against before handing the car back to Tsunoda for the rest of the weekend.

Aged 23, Iwasa is predicted to have a big future in motorsport, having impressed in both F2 and the Super Formula over the past two seasons.

Writing on his X page, he said: "Very very excited to jump in VCARB 01 again this weekend!"

Who’s ready to see @ayumuiwasa_cars take the VCARB 01 for a spin in FP1 this weekend? 💨#F1 #VCARB #AbuDhabiGP pic.twitter.com/85k8HUHkjM

— Visa Cash App RB F1 Team (@visacashapprb) December 3, 2024

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