Last-minute call to replace the injured Daniel Ricciardo at the Formula 1 Dutch Grand Prix, Liam Lawson had a solid period at AlphaTauri until the Qatar Grand Prix. Despite the good performance shown, including a points finish, he did not deserve the trust to stay in the team next year.
Despite the natural frustration, the New Zealander sees some positive side in his situation in 2024 and continues to aim for the arrival in F1 alongside the Red Bull structure – as he said to the Beyond the Grid podcast: ‘I would say it’s frustrating not to drive next year, but I will continue to make the most of still being in F1, involved at least. I am a Red Bull driver. If I ever have a chance in F1, it will be through Red Bull Racing and most likely at some point, I honestly don’t know, but I think it would be with Red Bull if they give me that opportunity’.
The highlight of the brief stay as Daniel Ricciardo’s substitute was the points for ninth place in the Singapore GP, but Lawson revealed that by then his future was already decided – although it had not been announced yet: ‘It was a really good feeling, potentially I had made a big step towards achieving it [the place in the field]. But I also knew in Singapore that I wasn’t going to drive next year, I knew I basically wasn’t going to keep the seat. I found out before qualifying, the timing wasn’t ideal. It was complicated because the press and everyone didn’t know. So, I had a good qualifying and the press was very positive and basically said all those good things about the chances I had to drive next year, but I knew I didn’t have them. I think it was a similar feeling after the race’.
