Liam Lawson has not-so-subtly suggested that Daniel Ricciardo needs to "step it up" if he wishes to retain his position within Red Bull's junior Formula 1 team.
As the Formula 1 circuit makes its way to Melbourne for this weekend's race, the local sentiment regarding Ricciardo's chances for a positive result is rather pessimistic.
"I hate to say it," conveyed 1980 world champion Alan Jones to the Herald Sun, "but I think we have seen the best days (of Ricciardo).
"He has had his bum in a few decent cars, irrespective of what people say. At the end of the day he has got to start beating his teammate for a start," Jones, now 77, elaborated further.
"At the end of the day, we can't be blaming the car all the time, which has been a bit of a tendency in the past," Jones mentioned, aligning with the opinion that Ricciardo must "lift his game."
Eagerly awaiting his opportunity is Red Bull reserve Liam Lawson, who last year turned heads while substituting for an injured Ricciardo.
"He should be in F1 this year," Rodin Cars head David Dicker, a supporter of 22-year-old Lawson, asserted to Formula Scout.
There's a belief that Dr Helmut Marko leaned towards Lawson for the seat this year, however, Christian Horner was adamant about reviving Ricciardo's flagging Formula 1 trajectory.
Marko has since hinted at the possibility of Lawson making appearances on the grid within the current season.
Over the weekend at the Adelaide Motorsport Festival, Lawson expressed, "I think Daniel knows that the potential is there, but I'm sure he's probably expected to step it up."
When queried by Fox Sports on his readiness to outperform Ricciardo, Lawson affirmed confidently, "Absolutely."
"Obviously this year it's the first in a while where everything is exactly the same," he remarked, alluding to the absence of full-time rookies on the 2024 lineup.
"It makes it very tough to get a seat when there's multiple guys. I feel like I'm ready but there's a lot of other guys there also," Lawson continued. "Ultimately my goal is to get back in that seat as soon as possible."
"Red Bull is pretty cut-throat," he observed.
Lawson also hinted at exploring opportunities beyond Red Bull should a seat not materialize soon.
"I would love to drive for them," the New Zealander stated, "but ultimately I want to be in F1 regardless."
