Lawson knew it before: no place at AlphTauri or Red Bull in 2024
F1 News
- Sam Godber
Liam Lawson has revealed that he knew even before the Japanese GP weekend that he would not get a permanent place in 2024. He let this be known after the race at the Suzuka circuit.
Lawson is making an excellent impression as a substitute for Daniel Ricciardo at the AlphaTauri racing stable. In the last four races, he never finished lower than 13th. At the Singapore Grand Prix, he even scored his first points with a hard-fought ninth place. At the last race in Japan, he finished 11th.
At the Japan Grand Prix, AlphaTauri confirmed that the team would continue with drivers Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda in 2024. Verstappen's teammate Sergio Perez is still under contract with Red Bull, which meant there was no seat left for Liam Lawson.
All seats occupied
Lawson informed Speedcafe that he will continue as a reserve driver: "I’m a Red Bull driver. All the Red Bull seats are filled and unfortunately for me that means that, for now, I’ll be reserve driver.” Lawson is an official reserve driver of Red Bull Racing.
The New Zealander further revealed that for now he is fully focused on his job as a substitute, and only after that will he start looking at the future: "Once this stint that I have is over then I can start looking at what options there are, but right now it’s focused on these races.”
Meanwhile, speculation about Lawson's future continues, with rumors that the talented rookie may move to Williams next year as a replacement for the disappointing Logan Sargeant. However, Red Bull team boss Christian Horner thinks this is very unlikely. During an interview with Sky Sports, Horner said, "It is unlikely they will take on a driver for a year. "
During an interview with Sky, Horner said, "It will be unlikely that they will take a driver for one year.” By doing so, Horner seemed to suggest that there may well be a future for Lawson in the Red Bull team in 2025.