Replacing an injured Daniel Ricciardo, Liam Lawson earned immense praise for his driving in 2023. Despite the same, the New Zealand driver failed to secure a permanent seat on the grid. The same resulted in Lawson having conflicting emotions. In Episode 9 of the latest season of Drive to Survive, the 22-year-old laid forth his conflicting emotions alongside a message for Red Bull.
Speaking to the crew, Lawson revealed how he wasn’t able to revel in his performances. Taking up a driving role on a few hours’ notice, Lawson took the grid by storm. However, given his position wasn’t permanent and that his future was insecure, Lawson couldn’t focus on the positives.
“It’s tough knowing that I don’t get a seat, even though I’ve just beaten the guy that’s getting a seat. I don’t know how to f*cking asnwer that, honestly. Because it’s meant to be me.” , said Lawson.
Things went from bad to worse for the 22-year-old when Horner told him Yuki Tsunoda and Daniel Ricciardo would be the team’s drivers in 2024. Horner was empathetic towards Lawson and told him his time would certainly come. Lawson’s disappointment was with the fact that a driver, whom he had just beaten, was getting the nod over him.
Horner opted to glance over the fact and asked Lawson to keep working hard. The belief in (formerly) AlphaTauri was that they needed experience, and a Ricciardo-Tsunoda partnership best served the same.
F1 Journalist and expert Will Buxton also chimed in on the entire situation. He claimed the sport was never only about the stopwatch. Instead, it was a mix of politics, business, popularity, and sponsorships. Given Tsunoda’s Japanese link and his connection with Honda, theories suggest it was a strategic decision by Red Bull to retain Tsunoda.
Honda Sponsorship possibility led to Red Bull siding with Yuki Tsunoda?
The popular opinion within the grid was that Lawson would secure a seat in (formerly) AlphaTauri for 2024. However, it was Tsunoda who ended up grabbing the seat. According to Bernie Collins, the impact of Tsunoda’s Honda sponsorship contributed to him continuing with the team.
Per Collins, financial considerations often sway the decisions of a team. Hence, a rumored $10 million contribution from Honda to Red Bull beat out Lawson’s pure skill.
Collins pointed out the situation at Aston Martin with Lance Stroll and his billionaire father to further his point. However, she insists Lawson should have been the one to secure the spot. His raw talent and skill would have helped the team become much better.
Collins also underlined the prowess of a Ricciardo-Lawson partnership. She felt the team would benefit much more if they had a “young guy that’s clearly very good. And Ricciardo, who has very strong pace and a lot of experience.”
