Lawson looks to Ricciardo as he eyes a clean Canadian GP

Daniel Ricciardo has played a role in Liam Lawson’s Canadian Grand Prix preparations, offering his advice to the Racing Bulls driver who now admits he needs to “cut back” on penalties and avoid unnecessary contact if he’s to deliver a clean weekend.

Falling less than four seconds short of a second points finish of the season at the Spanish Grand Prix, this weekend is a chance for the Racing Bulls driver to reinstate himself with a top-ten finish.

After nine rounds of racing already ticked off in 2025, Lawson lingers in 17th place in the drivers’ standings with just four points to his name — now heading to Montreal eager to turn his season around.

Despite hailing as the most seasoned rookie on the grid, the Canadian Grand Prix is still a hill Lawson has yet to climb.

So, to help get up to speed, the Kiwi revealed that he spoke with Daniel Ricciardo — the man who claimed his maiden Formula 1 victory at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in 2014.

“I actually spoke to Daniel last week about this track and he loved it,” Lawson said.

Ricciardo’s advice: “Use lots of kerb.”

“That’s probably the main one,” the rookie added. 

“It’s a track where, as drivers… It’s a bit unique compared to most tracks that we drive on. 

“It can be quite bumpy, and obviously there is a lot of kerb use around it. 

“So, yeah, I think it’s unique, it’s something that we all enjoy, and I’m looking forward to it.”

Aside from Ricciardo’s brief words of wisdom, Lawson and Racing Bulls are also taking confidence from the Australian’s strong result during last year’s event, where Ricciardo finished in eighth place to temporarily ease the mounting pressure on his shoulders. 

The characteristically wet conditions in Montreal sent the second Racing Bulls driver spinning across the grass, with Yuki Tsunoda nearly causing a collision between himself and Nico Hulkenberg, whose fast reflexes spared both drivers from a premature end.  

It was a close call that highlighted the fine margins in tricky conditions — and a timely reminder for Lawson, who admitted he needs to steer clear of further penalties and contact if he’s to make the most of his points-scoring opportunities this season.

“I’ve had a few of those, so need to cut back on them,” he conceded. 

“It is a track that creates racing, which is cool. 

“Having double DRS zones behind each other always creates that, and big braking zones into hairpin corners. 

“Obviously, the weather here as well — it looks alright at the moment, but in the past, it’s changed very, very quickly. 

“So we have to be on top of it.”

Lawson currently holds the second-highest penalty points tally on the grid — behind former teammate Max Verstappen — with six points stemming from one incident at the 2024 Qatar Grand Prix, and three separate incidents so far in 2025.

Accumulating 12 penalty points within a 12-month period would result in a one-race ban for the Kiwi, and with his current tally only set to reduce by one in December, it means he needs to keep his nose clean moving forward to avoid suspension.

That starts with the first hour of practice around the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, where a 10% chance of rain looms over the first day of running in Montreal as the field hits the track after one week of rest. 

With this weekend’s schedule a tough one for Australian fans to follow live, Free Practice 1 will kick off bright and early at 03:30 AEST on Saturday morning, followed by Free Practice 2 at 07:00 AEST.

Image: Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images // Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool.

2025 Canadian Grand Prix Schedule (AEST):

Saturday, June 14th:

FP1: 03:30 – 04:30

FP2: 07:00 – 08:00

Sunday, June 15th:

FP3: 02:30 – 03:30

Qualifying: 06:00 – 07:00

Monday, June 16th:

Race: 04:00

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