What does De Vries' departure mean for Red Bull junior Lawson?

It is already known that Nyck de Vries may not finish the current Formula 1 season. Red Bull reserve driver Daniel Ricciardo will replace him for the remainder of the season. The eight-time race winner has previously said it would be a fairytale finish at Red Bull Racing. What does this driver change mean for Red Bull junior Liam Lawson?

The New Zealand talent is currently driving in the Japanese Super Formula. You can bet Lawson would have been only too happy to sit in De Vries' vacant seat. Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko is letting him mature a little more in the Japanese auto racing class to better prepare him for a possible Formula 1 seat.

Should Lawson end up in Formula 1, it remains to be seen where the 21-year-old Red Bull junior will drive. There is a chance that Ricciardo will then replace Sergio Perez at the main team and thus drive alongside Max Verstappen and that Lawson will then fill Ricciardo's gap at AlphaTauri.

According to British journalist Joe Saward, Lawson is set to take a seat in the AlphaTauri in 2024, while other IndyCar driver Alex Palou will not go to Formula 1 but will continue to race in the IndyCar class.

In his younger years, Lawson came to Europe from New Zealand so that he could compete in the highest racing classes. The talent finished third in the Formula 2 season in 2022. With this, he finished one place above his teammate at the time Logan Sargeant. As is well known, Sargeant does currently drive Formula 1.