Jeen Grievink
Sunday, September 24, 2023 5:37 AM – Last update: 5:38 AM
Liam Lawson did everything he could, but still had to watch with dismay as Red Bull chose to continue with Yuki Tsunoda and Daniel Ricciardo at Scuderia AlphaTauri in 2024. The New Zealander therefore seems to have to be patient a little longer for a permanent seat in Formula 1. Or not? Lawson has been linked to Williams’ team.
When Ricciardo was injured during the race weekend in Zandvoort, Lawson suddenly got the chance to show what he had to offer. The 21-year-old driver from Hastings was put in the AlphaTauri cold, but grabbed the opportunity with both hands. Lawson did excellently and was also allowed to get behind the wheel in Italy, Singapore and Japan. Although he left an excellent impression and made it quite difficult for Red Bull’s top brass, they still chose to confirm Ricciardo as Tsundoa’s teammate in 2024 with the junior team. Lawson is therefore left empty-handed and seems to have to settle for a role as test and reserve driver again. Yet there is still hope: Lawson is linked to Logan Seargant’s seat at Williams.
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Williams follows Lawson’s situation “with interest”
James Vowles, team boss at Williams, has already announced that he is following the situation at Red Bull and AlphaTauri “with interest”. Toto Wolff also seems to have received no response when he nominated Mick Schumacher as a driver for Williams in 2024. Only Felipe Drugovich seems to be a serious candidate for the time being to take over the seat of the disappointing Sargeant at Williams. But there may now be another candidate in the person of Lawson. Christian Horner and Dr. Helmut Marko have already hinted that they do not rule out that Lawson will still be on the grid as a full-fledged Formula 1 driver in 2024.
Horner and Marko do not rule out Lawson’s permanent seat
“Whether or not Lawson gets a permanent seat instead of a reserve role is something that I think can change very quickly in Formula 1,” Marko said cryptically, as quoted by Sporza. Horner, team boss at Red Bull, also said that there may still be a chance at Williams. However, in that case Lawson would only be allowed to leave on loan. “He belongs to the Red Bull family. If there was a seat, and I think there is only one available, it could be possible, I mean we have done it in the past when we loaned Carlos Sainz to Renault,” said Horner.
2023-09-24 03:42:29
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