Liam Lawson’s impressive five-race cameo in 2023 showed all the signs that he could be a star in F1. However, Red Bull rejecting his stay in the sport and opting to have Daniel Ricciardo drive for their sister team instead left a sour taste in the New Zealand driver’s mouth.
After Ricciardo injured himself at the Dutch GP last season, Lawson stepped in and wasted no time in showing why he was one of Red Bull’s best talents in their academy. In five races, he outperformed Yuki Tsunoda and earned a brilliant P9 finish in Singapore which earned him plaudits from around the paddock.
Still, Red Bull went ahead with the pairing of Ricciardo and Tsunoda for the 2024 season. When asked to explain his emotions on a recent episode of the Mind Set Win podcast, Lawson replied,
“I very quickly realized during these races that it was going to be a test for my future. And I knew that before Zandvoort, I wasn’t looking very likely that I would be competing in Formula 1“.
Lawson felt that Red Bull rejected him before he could prove his worth. Christian Horner took the decision to sideline the Kiwi driver in Singapore, despite his heroic P9 finish even though he raced until the Qatar GP. Lawson admitted how ‘frustrating’ the entire ordeal was, and in season six of Drive to Survive, admitted that he felt he deserved the seat more than Ricciardo.
Liam Lawson felt he deserved F1 seat more than Daniel Ricciardo
Season six of Drive to Survive delved into the battle for the AlphaTauri seats between Ricciardo, Tsunoda and Lawson. Lawson takes into account the fact that despite not being as experienced as the former two, he managed to perform better in those five races than they did throughout the season.
After realizing he had missed out on the seat, a frustrated Liam Lawson said,
“It’s tough knowing that I don’t get the seat even though I’ve beaten a guy that’s getting a seat. I don’t know how to f***ing answer that honestly because it’s meant to be me. So, obviously, it’s frustrating.
Lawson’s claim has even more merit today, because of Ricciardo’s dismal start to the campaign. Until the Japanese GP, the Perth-born driver was struggling to get up to speed but after a chassis change in China, he showed signs of improvement.
Still, Ricciardo is on borrowed time, and unless he improves in the latter stages this year and scores points (he has 0 so far), Red Bull could choose to sack him.
In that case, Lawson would be the most viable option for Red Bull, who reportedly guaranteed him a V-CARB seat for 2025. If they don’t, Lawson could choose to leave the outfit as he is believed to have a clause in his contract which allows him to depart seamlessly if he doesn’t get a full-time seat next season.
