With the kind of calm and collected demeanor Liam Lawson showed when he temporarily replaced Daniel Ricciardo in 2023, one would never say he was nervous. It was a sudden call-up for the 21-year-old to jump in the AlphaTauri car at Zandvoort after the Australian driver injured his wrist. Apparently, Lawson later confessed to the team’s new CEO Peter Bayer that his hands were shaking when he took the wheel of the Honey Badger’s AT04.
Speaking to SpeedCafe, Bayer revealed this anecdote by saying, “Liam said that in Zandvoort he was so f***ing nervous. He said he was like this in the car (shaky hands), but then once he got going, he was alright.”
Often drivers switch off from racing when they are not in the car. This is what Lawson experienced during his debut at the Dutch GP. Naturally, once he got going with some laps, the Kiwi driver looked very comfortable throughout the race.
Bayer also elaborated on this mentality that many drivers possess. He cited how drivers use their excitement to channel into performance on track. Even for Lawson, Bayer agreed that once he gets in the car, he switches on and sets off to show his racing prowess.
Lawson showed more than decent performances for a rookie asked to jump in the car spontaneously. The New Zealander drove in five races from Zandvoort to Qatar and even scored 2 points in Singapore. In fact, his performance at Marina Bay was even more special, as he was the only Red Bull driver who qualified in the top 10.
Did Liam Lawson almost not get his F1 debut?
Peter Bayer also revealed an interesting fact that former team boss Franz Tost was not convinced of Liam Lawson. Tost believed the 21-year-old was not a stand-out driver, after looking at his stats.
Bayer highlighted how Christian Horner and Helmut Marko had contrasting opinions to Tost about Lawson’s potential. They knew the Kiwi raced in multiple categories such as DTM besides F3 and F2. So, they knew the versatility of his speed and skills.
Even former driver Gerhard Berger approved of Lawson’s skills after seeing his racing prowess in DTM. After a long discussion with Horner and Bayer, Tost eventually agreed to give the Red Bull prodigy a chance.
After his eye-catching showings in 2023, Lawson may not face many obstacles to securing a seat at RBR or AlphaTauri in the future. Even Helmut Marko confirmed that the 21-year-old is in Red Bull’s plans for both of their teams.
With Ricciardo being in the running for a seat on the senior team, the New Zealander has a great chance of replacing him at the Faenza-based outfit. However, for the time being, Lawson will have to stay on as reserve driver at both teams till 2025.
