Original subtitles

-[exhales] -[producer] How are you feeling?

Not that I've ever had therapy, but I can only imagine

this is what therapy would be like.

Addicted to… What am I addicted to?

[laughs]

[producer] Well…

-Success. -[Horner] Yes.

[tense music plays]

To win the World Championship, you can't run on one leg.

You've got to have both of your drivers performing.

Checo's form has taken a dive.

He's in a cauldron of pressure.

[Pérez] Ah, fuck.

[Horner] There's an enormous burden on his shoulders

that is becoming heavier and heavier.

[commentator 1] That mistake cost him.

[Pérez] Sorry, guys.

[Buxton] As Sergio Pérez continues to underperform,

naturally, the spotlight falls on the drivers who might possibly replace him.

[producer] Liam, I'll give you the monitor.

Oh, nice!

It's not recording yet?

[laughter]

What about higher up? Just go a less hairy bit up top.

-[man] Is that okay? -Yeah.

[Buxton] This is a massive decision.

And the problem is,

who do you choose?

[Horner] Do we actually do something?

Do we bench Sergio?

[tense music continues]

We need to

stop the rot.

[music stops]

[engine revs]

[birds chirp]

[goat bleats]

[orchestral music plays]

-[man] Morning, all. -Morning. How are you? Come on, mate.

The dog's not coming to Goodwood.

I'm going in the front.

[man] Here we go. I'll grab that as well.

[Horner] And we're off.

[orchestral music continues]

[Buxton] It's almost halfway through the season,

and Red Bull find themselves in a precarious position.

Yes, they're still leading the Constructors' Championship,

but not by much.

[tense orchestral music plays]

-[fan 1] Christian! Christian! -[Horner] What are you doing, a selfie?

[fan 2] Geri!

[Buxton] Sergio Pérez is underperforming to such an extent

that Red Bull no longer have the advantage.

-[woman] You're driving. -[Horner] I know. What could go wrong?

[Buxton] Christian will have major questions to answer

over how this has been allowed to happen.

[tense music plays]

[Horner] Good morning, everybody.

We're down here to celebrate 20 years of Red Bull Racing.

It's our 20th season, and it's, uh…

It's great to see all of the cars out here and running up the hill over the weekend.

When you've had the kind of season we had in 2023,

where you win virtually everything,

all bar one race,

you know, you set the standards.

-[man] Look at that. -The old, uh…

-The old faithful. -[boy] Dad.

[Horner] What if I need a nervous wee at the top?

It's a competitive business, and with that comes a huge amount of pressure.

[Geri] Don't crash! [laughs]

No pressure.

No donuts.

You finally made F1. [laughs]

The Red Bull Racing stable is an impressive one.

They have a very clear driver program.

Both in their senior team and in their junior team, VCARB.

[tense music plays]

The VCARB drivers are there demonstrating their talent,

desperately wanting the second Red Bull seat.

[Horner] If we were to decide to replace Checo,

the obvious candidate that we brought into the wings is… is Daniel.

Daniel has a huge amount of experience, but has Daniel still got it?

Has he still got that inner fire,

and is he prepared to put everything on the line for it?

[birds chirp]

[Ricciardo] Who's jumping in first? I reckon you are.

-[boy] You! You are. -Three, two, one, let's go.

[upbeat music plays]

-What are you doing? -[boy laughs]

Get away from me!

[laughs] Get off! This is why I'm an uncle.

[sighs]

I'm Daniel Ricciardo,

racing for Visa Cash App RB Formula 1 team.

-Are you all right? Okay, wait. -[nephew] Yeah.

I am here to… [chuckles]

A quote off my helmet.

"To remind these cats."

To remind 'em I can still do it.

[funky music plays]

And I'm still the dawg. [laughs]

[rock music plays]

Go, go, go, go, go!

-Know what you should do? -[nephew] What?

[Ricciardo] Accelerate.

Whoa!

Settle down, Vin Diesel.

[rock music continues]

[Bannon] Think you've got what it takes to be back at Red Bull?

Yes. Otherwise, I would not be here.

Fuck it. Why not… Why not go all in?

Okay, brake, brake, brake, brake, brake!

[both laugh]

This season is make or break for Daniel Ricciardo. No two ways about it.

[music stops]

[commentator 2] It's Daniel Ricciardo, for Australia,

for Red Bull!

[Buxton] Walking away from Red Bull in 2018

was the biggest mistake he ever made.

[commentator 2] Daniel Ricciardo losing his front wing going into turn one.

[Buxton] If he'd just stayed, he might've been World Champion by now.

-But Christian has a soft spot for him. -[Ricciardo groans]

[Buxton] Now he's back with Red Bull's junior team, VCARB.

He just has to do one thing this year,

which is prove that the Daniel Ricciardo that left Red Bull Racing

is the Daniel Ricciardo that's now racing for VCARB.

[Ricciardo] So what you want is a good bit of separation.

Perfect for a good Aussie snagger.

How often do I roll them?

-[woman] Once they're cooked. -How do I know once they're cooked?

-When they turn brown. -[man] Are you serious?

[Ricciardo] I think my 14 years of F1,

my salary has gone to food delivery businesses.

Oh, Daniel.

Come sit down and eat. Good?

-Beautiful. -[woman] Don't worry about it.

-[Grace] The meat's good. -[kid] Thank you.

I would love to be teammates with Max again.

You know, complete that… that fairy-tale story.

But this sport's not built on stories.

It's… It's not gonna happen just thinking about it.

I've gotta go and action it.

It's actually funny. You never ever said you wanted to be an F1 driver.

Ever.

I just winged it my whole life. I hated it.

[Grace] I don't know.

-Everyone forced me to do it. -[kid] Then why did you do it?

-[Grace] Yeah, why did you do it? -I'm kidding.

We just did it for fun, and it just sort of grew and…

-[Grace] Then you fell in love with it. -[Joe] We tried to talk him out of it.

'Cause I knew where it was gonna lead, a lot of heartbreak,

but proved me wrong.

[Horner] Daniel is in a crucial window,

because he's essentially being measured against Checo for 2025.

The range of options for him are so extreme.

He could either find himself a Red Bull Racing seat

or back to the farm in Perth.

But he had a tough start to the year.

[commentator 2] Welcome along to the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

Saturday night's all right for driving.

It's lights out and away we go!

[Ricciardo] Oh. Yeah, the spin, that was my fault.

I just took too much curb.

[Horner] Every race for Daniel is a cup final.

All these guys are incredibly talented drivers.

They're the best in the world. Elite.

But what it all boils down to

is about ability to deal with big pressure points.

[dramatic music plays]

[commentator 1] Happy sunny Sunday from Suzuka.

[Ricciardo] I still believe that, yes, I can be good enough

to run at the front and be at the top of the grid.

[tense music plays]

[commentator 1] And we're underway and racing!

[Ricciardo] I wanna obviously show that version of me.

[music stops]

[Ricciardo] I think what Daniel just needs to find in himself

is that inner hunger.

Does he want it enough?

[Lawson] Sorry, mate.

[Horner] Perhaps his heart and head

aren't quite in agreement at the moment.

[tense music plays]

[Buxton] Results are everything.

You have to perform.

There are only 20 seats in the sport,

and if there's someone out there that's quicker,

then you're looking over your shoulder the whole time.

[music fades]

[Paul Smith] So, Liam, respectful hunger.

Respectful hunger?

-[Smith] So you really want this seat. -But I'm respectful.

-[Smith] Yeah. -I'm not respectful.

Oh, dude.

I just don't understand, like, golf.

Oh, dude. Roll. Just roll.

Roll in the green.

I don't know why it's such a popular sport.

-[Jack] Whoa! -[Lawson] It's just frustration.

Pure frustration.

I'm Liam Lawson.

I'm Visa Cash App RB and Red Bull Racing test and reserve driver.

[commentator 2] Liam Lawson deserves a round of applause

for a first-ever points finish in Formula 1.

[Buxton] Liam Lawson did, frankly, the brilliant job last year

of standing in for Daniel when he broke his wrist.

I think he's pissed off that he didn't get a seat this year.

He deserves more than to be sitting on the sidelines.

[Lawson] I wanted the seat.

And now everyone's like, "Why didn't you get the seat?"

"Did it piss you off? You mad about that?"

-I didn't really understand it. -Really?

No. Fuck, no.

So, why didn't you get the seat? What happened?

I don't know. They feel like Daniel brings more to the table than I do right now.

I guess they want his experience. Daniel has experience.

[Jack] I understand. It makes sense, but it could've been a good chance.

-It could've been a great chance. -[Jack] Yeah.

I never want somebody to have their career turned upside down

just so that I can obviously race.

But ultimately, I'm not here to be friends.

At the end of the day, I need a seat.

Oh, f…

[Jack] I do honestly think that chance will come.

I don't know, dude. I don't know.

It definitely doesn't feel like it. It's almost like starting from zero.

Oh, dude. It's so stupid.

[Horner] At the moment, Liam's strongest probability

is to find himself in a VCARB seat for next year.

But circumstances can change.

You know, if Checo has a disaster,

if Daniel doesn't get the job done,

you know, suddenly Liam

becomes a… a realistic prospect.

So, you know, anything is… anything is feasible in this business.

[dramatic orchestral music plays]

[commentator 2] Welcome to Silverstone,

where year after year, whatever the weather,

the fans pack out the grandstand…

Morning.

[commentator 2] …and the best drivers in the world go racing for a golden trophy.

[music fades]

I don't think this is my suit.

This feels so tight.

No way.

[groans, laughs]

My poor penis.

[tense music plays]

[commentator 2] We approach the halfway point of this season.

When the checkered flag falls, that will be halftime.

This part of the year, contracts are being drawn up.

The teams are deciding who they want to occupy their seats

in 2025.

Every performance matters.

It really is crunch time.

[Horner] Lovely.

-[Lawson] Morning. -Good morning.

-[Lawson] How are you? -Good.

-[Horner] How are ya? -[Lawson] I need to drive.

I'm going crazy not driving.

[tense music continues]

[Tsunoda] The driver who performed really good historically

normally gets nominated the Red Bull.

We just focus to maximize the performance every race.

[Bannon] Who's your main competition?

Daniel.

[Ricciardo] Good to go? All right.

We've been told that at the summer break there could be some movement.

And it's a really kind of critical time

for all of us to show what we've got.

[music stops]

[Williams] For Daniel Ricciardo, every race at the moment is an audition.

You cannot underestimate the mental pressure

knowing that any mistake can be costly.

With Sergio Pérez underperforming,

Daniel can't afford to falter.

[tense music plays]

[Horner] Formula 1 is a… a results-based business.

And what you do on track is the answer to everything at the end of the day.

[music fades]

Hi, guys.

You got your driver poised today?

Speak of the devil.

[Horner] Let me have a word.

-All good? -[Pérez] Yep.

[Horner] Just get your head down, try and get yourself in a good place.

-Yeah. -[Horner] And you'll be fine.

Yeah.

[Bird] Be ready to go at the start of the session, please.

[Horner] Have a good one.

Now Checo needs to step it up.

And, you know, he knows he's under pressure.

But whenever he's had his back to the wall,

that's when he's at his best.

If he can just get a decent quali in

and find a bit of confidence, he'll feed off that, you know?

He just needs that trigger.

[Pérez] Red Bull is, um,

a team that, uh, changes drivers halfway in the season and so on,

so if you don't perform for a weekend, um,

all alarms go on.

The pressure is always on.

[Bird] Okay, so we gotta get a little bit faster in sector one.

[Pérez] Ah.

-I'm stuck. -[Bird] We're out, Checo.

[commentator 1] That's it for Pérez, and that is nightmare stuff

for team and driver.

[Horner] What the fuck do we do with this one?

If we keep going like this, we're fucked.

I just don't get it

with Checo.

[Bannon] So do you think he's gonna last till the end of the season?

There's no guarantees.

[somber music plays]

Right.

I don't know about our Mexican. I dunno…

[Buxton] I'm sure, at some point,

Christian, Red Bull have got to be asking themselves the question

of… of how much longer they, you know, they tolerate this.

Their rivals are coming for them.

They need both drivers scoring points.

They need both drivers not making mistakes.

[Horner] Starting to think of the diminishing returns.

You know, this weekend, we have to look very carefully at the other drivers.

Of the three that we've got,

well, four,

Checo versus Daniel versus Yuki versus Liam.

I'm a big fan of Daniel.

I mean, I know he's not been competitive, but we know what he's capable of.

Yeah.

I think he can sniff that there's a bit of a chance.

[music fades]

I just wasn't sure how much they've made aware to the public

that Checo is on the verge.

[Paul Smith] What Christian's been saying publicly

is that the way that it's been approached with Checo

is… is through a lot of support, right?

As opposed to, "We're definitely fucking replacing Checo."

"He's fucked. DR is in. Liam into VCARB."

Happy days.

[Smith] So,

for you, I think, Christian…

And he's taking the time to see what happens here.

-He needs success. -Yeah.

Yeah, that's cool.

[tense music plays]

[commentator 2] Welcome along to the track that started this World Championship

some 1,112 races ago.

[commentator 3] We may be getting some rain. Could be an absolutely amazing race.

[tense music continues]

-I'll… I'll grab a lift with you. -Come on, then.

[both laugh]

[Ricciardo] We'll really eat shit.

[tense music continues]

-Can I have a… a tea, please? -[woman] A tea?

Yeah.

[Buxton] The lingering doubts continue to swirl around Sergio Pérez

and his place at the team.

And because of that,

Daniel Ricciardo has a phenomenal opportunity

to show that he is once again the man for Red Bull.

[music fades]

Scoring some points today would really help his cause.

Four, three, two, one.

[Ricciardo] Every race has to be everything I've got.

I do love it.

Maybe I'm a sicko,

but I like the pressure.

Being told, "These could be the most important races of your career,"

that excites me.

[tense music plays]

-[Lawson] I can't do this much longer. -[man] Okay.

[Lawson] I'm just hanging around, watching races.

I'm losing my mind, mate.

I think the most important thing for you is just to, you know, stay calm.

Don't let it get to you.

Yeah.

[tense music continues]

[Ricciardo] There's parts of the doubt which is fuel, you know?

And it's kind of as a kid, you know,

if your parents say don't do something, then you wanna go do it.

If people doubt you, then you wanna go and prove 'em wrong.

[commentator 2] George Russell leads a British trio,

starting one, two, three on the grid.

[Hamelin] Fifteen seconds.

Okay, Daniel. Let's go hunting.

[commentator 1] Daniel Ricciardo in 15th place,

but still outqualified by his teammate, Yuki Tsunoda, in 13th.

[commentator 1] Sergio Pérez is starting from the pit lane

after his crash in qualifying.

[Bird] Pull away on the green light.

[tense music continues]

[commentator 1] And it's a good launch from Daniel Ricciardo.

[commentator 4] Pérez has only just hooked on to the back of the pack now.

[Bird] Bottas the car in front.

[Pérez] Guys, it's not good.

[Hamelin] Let's push, please. Push now.

[Ricciardo] Yeah.

[commentator 1] Ricciardo sweeps past Zhou into 14th.

[Hamelin] Good job. Make sure we keep that position.

Every lap counts.

[music stops]

[commentator 1] Could get tricky out there with unpredictable weather coming through.

[commentator 3] This is the hardest thing. If it's heavy rain, it's anyone's game.

[Hamelin] Daniel, heads up.

We have heavy rain expected.

[Ricciardo] Understood.

[tense music plays]

[Spini] Yuki, we have another ten laps of this rain.

I can't see anything.

[Spini] Just push.

[Hamelin] That was a good lap, Daniel. Keep it up.

[Ricciardo] In a race like Silverstone, where it starts to rain,

you're having a scare, like,

once a lap.

It's kind of terrifying.

[music stops]

-[commentator 3] It's slippery! -[commentator 1] It's really raining.

[dramatic music plays]

[Ricciardo] It's pretty heavy now.

[Hamelin] Try and keep pushing.

The leaders are staying out.

Everyone is staying out.

[Ricciardo] I know I should take risks.

[Hamelin] Magnussen behind.

[Ricciardo] But you're also like, "Okay,

if I crash, that doesn't do me many favors."

[commentator 3] Kevin Magnussen making a move on Daniel Ricciardo.

[music stops]

[Ricciardo] Ah, shit.

[Bayer groans]

[Ricciardo] Sorry.

This is all I've got.

[tense music plays]

[commentator 3] Albon makes a move on Tsunoda.

-[Tsunoda] What position am I? -[Spini] P10.

[tense music continues]

[commentator 1] Verstappen about to lap his Red Bull teammate for the second time.

[commentator 3] Oh, this is humiliation for Pérez.

[Pérez] I don't know what's going on. I think I'm just driving too slow.

[Hamelin] Okay, Daniel. One more lap. One more lap.

[tense music continues]

[commentator 1] Disappointment for VCARB, as Ricciardo comes home in 13th place.

[Ricciardo] Pretty tough today.

[commentator 3] Outside the points.

His only consolation is that Sergio Pérez is even further back, in 17th.

[Pérez] Uh…

Something didn't work.

[Ricciardo] Certainly struggled today.

I'd say we didn't have much more to give.

Silverstone did not go good.

[somber music plays]

In those tricky conditions,

it's… I don't know.

I… I guess I don't want to admit it, but,

yeah, I believe that I'm still willing to put it all on the edge,

but, uh,

maybe I ask the question now,

where, as a 22-year-old or 25-year-old,

you probably don't ask the question.

Are you okay?

Um…

Define "okay."

[woman] Yeah, I know, I know.

[producer] What is the question?

[somber music continues]

I don't know if I wanna say it because it…

It's too vulnerable.

Um…

Yeah…

Like ultimately, it's "Is it worth the risk?" You know?

But…

Yeah, it just opens you up for weakness.

[Bayer in German] He has to gain the confidence that he can actually go fast

because he doesn't have a feeling for the car, and that's the problem.

[Marko] Well, yeah, because the Netflix story is not working.

That Ricciardo will come out of his bad stretch

and get into Red Bull Racing, something like that.

That's the story that Netflix had planned.

[Bayer] "The legend," yeah.

-And that's not working out. -Yeah.

-[Coulthard in English] Unbelievable. -[Horner] Yeah, yeah, I know.

That was a shocker.

I could put anybody in at the moment, you know.

I could put you in!

Fucking hell, man. I think I could do a better job.

[Williams] So, once again, Sergio Pérez comes out of a race weekend at Silverstone

not delivering the performance.

Christian Horner really has to be looking at this now, doesn't he,

and thinking, "What do I need to do?"

"Do I need to make a change?"

[Horner] You have to look at what your alternatives are.

And, you know, if we were to take Sergio out of the car…

we don't have anybody in the other car

putting in performances that are… are like, "Wow!"

You know, "Daniel's really delivering," or, "Yuki's really delivering."

Um, they're doing okay,

but, um, you know, okay isn't enough

whilst trying to defend, you know, both championships.

-[man] Long weekend. -[Horner] Yeah, bloody hell.

Honestly, I think this test on Thursday, we have to have a good look at Liam.

Because if we keep going like this, we're fucked.

[tense music plays]

[music stops]

[Lawson] Morning. How's it going? Good. How are you?

Wow. Morning, guys.

You had breakfast?

-Yeah. -[man] Good night's sleep? [laughs]

Honestly?

Uh, average.

How are we doing?

We've decided to give Liam a run out at Silverstone

because I think really we want to see where is he at.

[tense music plays]

Right.

Here he is.

Is Sergio gonna pick it up? If he doesn't, what is our best option?

We know Daniel's capability. We know Yuki's.

The one there's a bit of a question mark on at the moment

is how good is Liam Lawson?

When was the last time you drove one of these?

I drove it in January at Imola.

-So you haven't driven anything since? -Nothing for seven months, yeah.

Oh really?

-And Max is coming up this afternoon? -[man] So you can compare the two of them.

Okay.

[Horner] We're gonna see what Max does and then get a reference.

Good.

I do believe I could step into that position.

It's basically what I've been preparing my whole life for.

[music fades]

[Horner] I told you at the end of last year that you'd get an opportunity.

It'll be in a blue car. I just don't know which one.

I feel good in this blue.

Yeah, it suits you.

Hey, mate. How you doing? You good?

You all right?

-[Verstappen] I have the afternoon. -Yeah, okay.

-See you. -[Lawson] See you in a bit.

[tense music plays]

[Horner] It's a very different feel to drive, uh, between the two cars.

[engineer] Okay, Max. Fire up.

[Horner] The VCARB car is slightly tamer,

not as on a knife's edge as the Red Bull Racing car.

You know, it's an aggressive bull.

[tense music continues]

Liam knows he's gonna be judged

on how he compares to the reigning World Champion.

He's got three laps,

and that's gonna determine,

you know, his career.

[dramatic music plays]

[music stops]

-Thanks. I appreciate it. -[Verstappen] No worries.

-See you at the weekend. -Yeah.

[Horner] Cheers. See you later.

[tense music plays]

[Lawson] It's a Red Bull car.

Obviously, it's the ultimate F1 car.

I've been lucky enough to drive it a couple of times,

but it's been a long time since I last drove one.

[tense music continues]

If I don't perform, I won't get the chance again.

[music stops]

[engineer] The car is ready.

[Lawson] Copy.

Fuck. That's so fast.

[engineer] I'll leave you to it.

[dramatic music plays]

[Horner] How is he through the high-speed stuff?

Relative to Max, he's being pretty impressive.

Okay, so he's not hanging about, then.

-And his feedback's good? -Yeah, yeah. Very precise.

-So he knows what's going on? -Yeah.

[dramatic music continues]

How far off was his lap compared to Max's lap?

[man] Just under two tenths.

[Horner] The guys are impressed with what you're doing.

So just get yourself ready for if the call comes.

Anyway, keep doing what you're doing.

I will. Thanks.

-[Horner] Keep learning. -I will.

[reporter 1] And in Formula 1 news, Christian Horner is under pressure

as McLaren overtake Red Bull in the Constructors' title race.

[reporter 2] And you do wonder what Christian Horner is thinking about.

[gears grind]

I told you I'd never been up a hill this steep.

Come on, girl. You can do it.

Sport can sometimes be brutal.

You provide opportunities, but sometimes you have to take them away.

What are you thinking about new drivers?

Any new ones to put into the mix?

-We've got some good young ones. -[Geri] Yeah.

[tense music plays]

[Lawson] I feel ready for the opportunity, and I've been working towards it for

more or less 15 years.

It's a frustrating thing when I'm watching drivers underperform.

I feel I can do a better job.

[tense music continues]

Is Checo twitchy?

Uh, no, uh, I… I think it's always good

to keep drivers on their toes.

[Geri] Okay.

[Pérez] Certainly, there's a lot of drivers that will…

will give their life, you know, to be in my seat.

I just laugh at it.

It's always about finding the key to unlock potential.

Mr. Tsunoda, welcome to Wagyu Mafia.

[in Japanese] Kobe beef sandwiches, let's go!

[bell rings]

[laughter]

[in English] I feel more grown as a Formula 1 driver.

I am focused on myself. Just keep what I am doing.

I'm feeling more in control.

[tense music continues]

Is Daniel still hungry?

If he doesn't have it…

Why wouldn't he still have it?

It's like I was saying about the horse. It's whether it's still burning inside.

[tense music continues]

[Ricciardo] There's still, like, this inner confidence and belief that

I can do something pretty special.

-[sneezes] -[music stops]

[laughter]

I feel like as hungry as I was ten years ago.

[tense music plays]

[music stops]

I've made a decision.

[chuckles]

Can't stop smiling.

-[producer] Congratulations. -Thank you.

I'm Liam Lawson,

and I'm Visa Cash App RB's Formula 1 driver.

[tense music plays]

[reporter 1] Breaking news is that Formula 1's Daniel Ricciardo

has been dropped by the RB team.

[reporter 2] Liam Lawson, the 22-year-old New Zealander,

will replace him.

[music fades]

[Buxton] A lot of people thought it would be Checo.

I'm not sure anybody expected Daniel.

I always thought Daniel Ricciardo

had at least one Formula 1 World Championship in him.

And I know he did.

But it's game over.

[somber music plays]

I don't know if you know this or don't, but I don't have a race to prepare for.

Mm.

Cleanse the palate.

[producer] So is this it, then?

This is it.

[somber music continues]

I never thought I would have this career, I never thought I'd be here, you know?

And that's… That's the truth.

Yes, my dream was to be World Champion, and there were years along the way

where I genuinely felt like it was gonna happen.

[commentator 1] Daniel Ricciardo becomes a new winner in Formula 1!

[Ricciardo] I got close. Uh, that's okay.

But if I was World Champion sitting here today, does it change

how I feel, or view myself, or anything like that?

Um…

All righty, I got this. I'm gonna nail it.

Hell, yeah, let's do it.

Fuck 'em all.

I don't think so.

[cheering]

Maybe my ego would be big.

We don't want that, so I have no regrets.

[Horner] Daniel, he's a great guy, and it was a very difficult conversation to have.

I think if Daniel had have been banging on the door,

uh, and putting in some, you know, big results,

then that would've been a way easier decision.

[somber music continues]

Daniel… you know,

i-is… is that fire

still burning brightly inside him?

Um, Liam Lawson, there's petrol on the fire.

What we wanted to see was,

you know, how good was Liam?

How would Liam stack up against Yuki?

And we have some big decisions to make for the… for the future.

And I think we're better looking ahead than perhaps behind.

[dramatic music plays]

[Mexican music plays]

[in Spanish] Long live Mexico!

[commentator 2 in English] The lucha libre to the F1 fiesta.

Welcome along to the Mexico City Grand Prix.

[crowd] Checo!

[commentator 2] The atmosphere is rarefied.

[commentator 1] This is going to be some race.

[music fades]

[Horner] What are you gonna do with the plane? Sell it?

-[Pérez] I've sold it. -Yeah? Good.

-You just charter? -No, no, I've got another one.

Oh, fuck.

[Buxton] Checo, a cat with nine lives.

How does he survive?

If I was Checo, I'd be dead worried about Liam.

[Pérez] Red Bull is a different level in all regards.

It's a team that pushes you really hard in all areas.

Red Bull obviously know they can have any driver they want, basically.

[producer] If they can handle it.

Correct.

[tense music plays]

[Lawson] You know, the support for Checo is massive,

but, I mean,

Red Bull are looking for somebody fast and consistent.

I'm just focused on nailing these races, honestly.

So that's… that's all I'm thinking about at the moment.

Right now, I'm auditioning for a seat.

When you're in the car, you have the unique opportunity to

basically show everybody what you can do in a car.

[music stops]

-Thank you. -[man] Need anything?

No, we're all good. Thank you.

-We'll see you later. -See you later.

[Horner] Is Liam gonna be a candidate to drive alongside Max next year?

Is he a better option for us in 2025?

[Lawson] Morning, guys.

[Horner] He's got to justify and to demonstrate

to us that he's the man.

Yuki's in with a shot for the Red Bull seat. We know he's quick.

What we just wanna see from him is that mental, uh, resilience

that he's not gonna throw it off the circuit at a crucial point in time.

[producer] Who's the better driver out of you and Liam?

I mean, results says everything, so I don't have to say anything.

[tense music plays]

[commentator 2] Today, we fight over 71 laps.

Sergio Pérez in his home race, 18th, absolute horror, in qualifying.

[music fades]

-[Bird] Radio check. -[Pérez] Yes, loud and clear.

Lawson is P12.

[commentator 3] Huge pressure on Sergio Pérez today

in front of his home crowd.

And Liam Lawson hoping to outperform his teammate, Yuki Tsunoda,

and keep himself in contention for that Red Bull seat.

[crowd] Checo! Checo! Checo! Checo! Checo!

[rhythmic beeping]

[exciting music plays]

[commentator 2] It's lights out and away we go.

Fantastic start for Pérez, up five places.

[exciting music continues]

[music stops]

[commentator 1] And off goes one of the VCARBs.

-No! -Oh no!

[Spini] Yuki, are you okay?

[Tsunoda] Yeah.

[exciting music plays]

[commentator 3] Lawson up into tenth.

[Hamelin] Okay, Liam. It's looking good.

[commentator 1] Another opportunity to hear a cheer from the crowd

because Sergio Pérez has got past Lance Stroll.

[in Spanish] Let's go!

[commentator 3 in English] He's now up into 11th.

[Hamelin] Liam, Pérez behind.

[music stops]

[Bird] Lawson 0.9.

You gotta get past him before he picks up DRS.

[commentator 2] Here comes Sergio Pérez. He is gaining.

[exciting music plays]

[Pérez] Fuck!

[Lawson] Mate, are you fucking serious?

[commentator 1] Welcome to Formula 1, Liam Lawson!

[Pérez] What the fuck is this idiot doing?

[tense music plays]

What the fuck is he doing?

[in Spanish] He pushed him off! He pushed him off!

[commentator 2 in English] Lawson stays ahead.

[music fades]

-[commentator 3] Damage for Pérez? -[commentator 1] It's the sidepod.

[Pérez] Fucking idiot! This is not go-karts.

[in Spanish] He pushed him off! He pushed him off!

-[Lawson in English] My front wing broke. -[Hamelin] Yeah.

-[Lawson] I need to box. -[Hamelin] Box, box. Box, box.

[Bird] There might be debris at turn 12.

[Pérez] I guarantee the same idiot.

[tense music continues]

[music stops]

[Hamelin] Let's get back in there.

So Pérez is just ahead of you.

[Lawson] Copy.

[tense music plays]

[Bird] Lawson 0.5 behind.

[Lawson] Mate, he's blocking me on purpose.

[Bird] Lawson at 0.2.

[Pérez] Yeah.

[Hamelin] Click overtake.

[Lawson] Yeah, fuck him.

[commentator 3] I think Liam Lawson just gave Pérez the finger as he's gone past.

[laughter]

[Pérez] Yeah.

I'm so sorry for this idiot.

Unbelievable.

[commentator 1] Carlos Sainz wins the Mexico City Grand Prix.

Lando Norris finishes in second.

And your podium completed by Charles Leclerc.

[cheering]

[commentator 3] And with that, Ferrari overtake Red Bull

for second place in the Constructors' Championship.

[Hamelin] You put it all together. You did a very good race.

[commentator 4] Pérez, he ended up finishing last, I'm afraid.

[Pérez] It was looking good.

[Bird] Just not our day.

Lap up the crowd. Enjoy.

[tense music plays]

A driver in the Red Bull Junior team, VCARB,

should not be blocking a driver in the senior team.

And if one of my drivers gave the finger,

we would be having a conversation.

[tense music continues]

He's just shown up the guy that he wants to replace.

On home turf.

He's got his elbows out, and he's gone racing.

It's not a Sunday afternoon trip to the supermarket.

It's Formula 1.

[music fades]

I… I… I don't get it. I mean, uh, he took the… the whole side of the car off.

Uh, I don't think it was, uh, a very clever move.

[exhales] He needs to be more professional.

[reporter] Liam Lawson, the bad boy of Red Bull Racing.

I'm not trying to cause any issues or anything like that,

but, at the same time, I'm not here to make friends. I'm here to win.

[producer] Do you think it's jeopardized your chances of a seat at Red Bull?

I'd like to think it hasn't.

[tense music plays]

[phone rings]

[Horner] Is that Checo?

-[Pérez] Cold morning. -[Horner] You all right?

[music fades]

[producer] Have you made a decision on who's racing at Red Bull next year?

-Yep. -[producer] Are you able to tell us?

No.

[chuckles]

-[Horner] G'day. -Hey, Christian.

-[Horner] How are you doing? -I'm good. You?

-Pretty good. Come on in. -[Lawson] Thank you.

Right, you lot can fuck off now.

I'll turn this, uh, mic… You haven't got a microphone?

Liam was overly aggressive with Checo.

He took it too far.

That is not acceptable.

You want to see a bit of spirit in your drivers,

but at the same time, it needs to be controlled, it needs to be harnessed.

And I think he's got a lot to learn.

[tense music plays]

But we've decided that it's right for Checo to… to step down.

-[man] We'll go do some photography. -[Horner] Right.

And the most compelling candidate for us to replace Checo…

is Liam Lawson.

-Okay. Here we go. -[photographer] Shake hands please, guys.

[dramatic music plays]

-[photographer] Brilliant. Thank you. -We'll do a friendlier one.

Great to have you on the team.

-Big opportunity. -I know. I'm very, very excited.

-[chuckles] Yeah. Good. -As you can probably tell.

-I can't stop smiling. [laughs] -[Horner] Excellent.

Of course, it comes with risk, uh, but you've got to invest in the future.

Liam demonstrated that he's a hard and gritty racer.

[tense music plays]

He drives the car like Max,

and he seems to have an inner strength

that can deal with some of the pressures of this business.

Two, one.

[Buxton] He's like Max was ten years ago.

Desperately fast.

Just raw race craft.

With Max, it's a really punchy lineup.

Fireworks.

That's… That's what I see.

[reporter] Are you excited to drive alongside Max?

[Lawson] It's been a very long journey,

what I've dreamt of my whole life, so this is the highlight so far.

-I hope you're ready. -Uh, yeah.

[laughs]

When was the last time a stand-in

ended the career

of two massively respected veteran drivers?

[Pérez] If you are coming to Red Bull, to this challenge of being next to Max,

you have to be mentally very strong and prepared for it.

And, um, I think I… I came with the right, uh, mindset.

I think, uh, looking back at it,

I've done some… some really good years, really good races.

And, um, it's, uh… It's been a… a privilege.

[somber music plays]

-[Ricciardo] Do I just do that? -[producer] Mm-hmm.

"Arrivederci." I think that's how you spell it.

I don't know why, but that sounds like the most beautiful way to say goodbye.

From season one to season seven. [laughs]

It's been a ride. Arrivederci.

We are fighting with Haas to be P6.

-[woman] What's your name? -Ayao.

You finish sixth place in the Constructors' Championship,

you're taking home tens of millions of dollars.

[Gasly] What the fuck?

[commentator 2] Hülkenberg goes off.

[Hülkenberg] You gotta be fucking shitting me.

The conclusion of this season is going to be box office.

[Norris] I can't see fuck all, man.

[Verstappen] Fuck, there's a crash.

I'm fighting Max, probably the best driver ever in Formula 1.

We're not gonna give this championship away without a hell of a fight.

[exciting music plays]

[music fades]