Liam Lawson, Daniel Ricciardo’s replacement in 2023 who impressed during his five races in Formula 1, has shared what it is like for him to have to wait for a Formula 1 seat. Many experts already awarded the New Zealander a full-time seat in the premier class in 2024, but Lawson will have to wait at least another year. The driver therefore does not yet have a fixed timeline for his further motorsport career.
Lawson made a big impression in 2023 as Daniel Ricciardo’s replacement. With little experience under his belt, the New Zealander immediately showed impressive driving skills during his short time in Formula 1, and even managed to achieve the best result of the AlphaTauri team in 2023, thanks to a points finish during the Singapore Grand Prix. Rumors subsequently swirled that Lawson could land a spot at Red Bull’s sister team, but those hopes for the New Zealander were ended when Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda were officially confirmed as the driving duo for the RB team. Lawson therefore still does not know what his future in the premier class will look like.
“Honestly, there is no set timeline for my future,” Lawson told Speedcafe. ‘Of course nothing is certain about my future. For me it’s about staying ready and hopefully opportunities will come.” The New Zealander is the reserve driver for both RB and Red Bull Racing this year, and is reportedly also the favorite of Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko, if one of the two RB drivers does not perform properly.
Lawson has no choice but to wait
In the meantime, Lawson can only wait, because his short time in Formula 1 has meant that he is officially no longer a rookie, and is therefore not allowed to participate in the test sessions during the free practice sessions. That is only reserved for F1 drivers with fewer than three starts to their name, according to the official F1 rules, and the New Zealander no longer meets that requirement. This puts Lawson a bit between a rock and a hard place.
“I still feel like a rookie,” admitted Lawson, who also has an idea of what he can do until he hopefully gets an F1 seat. ‘It will mainly be simulator work, and then going to all the races with the team as a reserve.’ However, Lawson remains determined to return to the F1 grid. ‘Every driver, at least at this level, has enough self-confidence to drive in Formula 1, you have to have that to get close. But it’s different now, because of course I always imagined what it would be like to drive in Formula 1, and now I know what it’s like. I’ve had a little taste of it, yeah, so it’s a different perspective. It certainly makes it (waiting, ed.) more frustrating.’
