As the 2024 season is heading towards its conclusion with only six races remaining, all eyes are on Liam Lawson. The young New Zealander has been handed an incredible opportunity to showcase his talents and prove he deserves a full-time F1 seat for 2025. At the upcoming United States GP, Lawson would be replacing Daniel Ricciardo — who was released from his duties in a shock move after the Singapore GP.
RB’s decision to let go of Ricciardo and replace him with Lawson wasn’t just a reactionary move. Speaking about the driver lineup of the sister team, Red Bull team principal, Christian Horner made it clear that this decision was strategic and part of a broader plan.
“These things are under constant review and there is obviously a much bigger picture other than just Daniel as we continue to look at all of our options as we move forward. There’s a natural break coming, with effectively almost a month’s gap to the next race. It’s only natural that you’ll take stock and consider all of those options for the final part of the year,” he said.
Horner’s comments hint that there is still a reshuffle of seats possible at both of Red Bull’s teams for 2025. With Sergio Perez’s struggles this season also being a point of contention, Lawson could benefit if can emulate his strong performances from 2023.
Lawson had a strong start in F1
The Kiwi driver has already shown his brilliance on the track during his F1 debut in 2023. Lawson had stepped in for AlphaTauri (now RB) during the Dutch GP as he replaced Ricciardo, who had sustained a broken hand during Friday practice. Lawson held his own in the challenging wet conditions at the Zandvoort circuit.
The 22-year-old (then 21) even scored his first points at the 2023 Singapore GP finishing P9. These performances brought him into the spotlight and earned him praise from Red Bull’s advisor and ‘talent-hunter’ Helmut Marko.
P9, and points in only his third race!
Take a bow, @LiamLawson30 #F1 #SingaporeGP pic.twitter.com/LOEkbRTVVH
— Formula 1 (@F1) September 17, 2023
However, the current season is a much more difficult challenge for Lawson. Unlike his substitute role in 2023, the upcoming six races are essentially an extended job interview to get a full-time seat for 2025. Every race from Austin to Abu Dhabi will be monitored closely and determine Lawson’s future.
The pressure is immense. A remarkable performance from Lawson can fulfill his lifelong F1 dream but the competition is fierce. Yuki Tsunoda is having a good season so far for RB and arriving halfway through the season already puts Lawson on the back foot.
On top of that, the New Zealander will also have to deal with a 10-place grid penalty in Austin, as he will inherit some of Ricciardo’s new power unit components. Amid all this, if Lawson doesn’t deliver like last season, Red Bull isn’t the most considerate team to give him a long rope.
Red Bull’s ‘Hire and Fire’ threat
Making his situation worse is Red Bull’s reputation of following the ‘hire and fire’ motto. While there is the positive possibility of a Red Bull promotion, a lackluster performance could throw Lawson on the sidelines, potentially even back to a reserve or test driver role.
Will Liam Lawson get the Red Bull drive full time alongside Verstappen next year? pic.twitter.com/mNljpxt46p
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) October 14, 2024
It won’t be a new call for the Milton-Keynes-based team. In 2016, the team demoted Daniil Kvyat from their main team to their junior team after only four races. The decision was made after a string of incidents including his crash with Sebastian Vettel in China. At the Spanish GP, the Russian driver was replaced by Max Verstappen.
Similarly, in 2019, Red Bull promoted Pierre Gasly to the main team to replace Ricciardo. However, just 12 races into the season, the Frenchman was demoted back to the junior team (then Toro Rosso) due to his underperformance. He was replaced by Alex Albon, who had been in F1 for less than a year.
Furthermore, in 2020, Albon also struggled to match Verstappen’s pace. At the end of the season, the Thai-British driver was replaced by Sergio Perez for the 2021 campaign. Meanwhile, Albon moved to a reserve driver role.
Lawson will be wary of Red Bull’s history with such tough calls on drivers and would ideally look to make the most of his six races at RB. Time will tell if he can convince Red Bull to secure his long-term future with them.
