F1 News
Would Lawson like to go to Williams himself? This is his answer
- Ludo van Denderen
Christian Horner cautiously hinted at it in Japan: Liam Lawson - who will not get a place in sister team AlphaTauri next year - could possibly be loaned to the Williams team to gain the necessary experience there in 2024 alongside Alex Albon. In that case, the New Zealander would be the replacement for Logan Sargeant, who has yet to score any points in his debut year and whose seat is under pressure.
Red Bull Racing and Williams maintain a good relationship, which resulted in Albon being allowed to move to the former top team early last year - despite his reserve role with the Austrians. Albon has since become a permanent part of Williams. The latter will not happen anytime soon, should Lawson temporarily switch to team boss James Vowles' team.
Red Bull believes in Lawson
Finally, Red Bull foresees a bright future for the youngster, who is currently making a name for himself as a replacement for the injured Daniel Ricciardo. With Lawson within the Red Bull ranks, the Austrians are keeping all options fully open for the future (read: 2025). For instance, Daniel Ricciardo might be able to move up from AlphaTauri to the spot next to Max Verstappen, Yuki Tsunoda is (a less realistic) possibility for that, and the commitment with Sergio Perez could even be extended and so there is the talented Lawson in the house.
However, boarding directly in a Red Bull Racing car seems likely to be an option only if Lawson first shows his qualities elsewhere for a year, and by now, that can only be Williams. Asked by Motorsport-Total.com if the New Zealander himself sees anything in a loan move, he responded: "I am a Red Bull driver. All the Red Bull spots are taken, and, unfortunately, that means I am a reserve driver for the time being."
In other words: Lawson is not saying a definite 'no' to Williams in advance. In any case, the 21-year-old driver expressed his desire to focus on the remaining Grand(s) Prix before thinking about the future.