Liam Lawson was thrown into the spotlight at the 2023 Dutch GP when he was asked to fill in for an injured Daniel Ricciardo at AlphaTauri on a day’s notice. He made his F1 debut later that weekend, and looking back on the four races he competed in thereafter, Lawson thanks Netflix for featuring the right story on Drive to Survive.
Speaking to the BBC, Lawson revealed that he was nervous about the show’s release. He was worried about how he was going to look and the impressions he would leave on fans. Safe to say, his apprehensions were quelled when he witnessed himself on the docuseries firsthand.
“I think it showed a good insight into what those races were like.”
The show covered Lawson’s entry, his performances, and ultimately his exit. It showed the success he tasted during his brief stint in F1, which also left a lasting impression on the F1 paddock. Most notably at the 2023 Singapore GP in the Marina Bay Street Circuit where Lawson outqualified Max Verstappen and his own teammate Yuki Tsunoda to bag his first F1 points.
However, after Ricciardo recovered from his injury, Lawson was once again put on the sidelines. Without a seat for the 2024 season, he pinned his hopes on bagging one in 2025.
Helmut Marko acknowledges Liam Lawson threat with 2025 on the horizon
Lawson, currently a Red Bull reserve driver, is one of the candidates tipped to be on the F1 grid soon. The Austrian stable knows how talented he is and would not be too eager to let him go. But for that, they need to find a place for him on an already stacked grid.
Helmut Marko, who heads the Red Bull junior program, admits that they may lose Lawson to a rival if his future isn’t sorted soon. As quoted by The Race, he said,
“We obviously have in Liam Lawson as reserve driver a strong driver in the team, who is contractually free to race for another team if he doesn’t get a seat with us in 2025.”
https://t.co/GiB2K8RHfL: “Liam Lawson, who raced so strongly for RB last season – and who has reportedly been promised a race seat for 2025”
[https://t.co/XYiD39a0Ri] pic.twitter.com/OcwJe5WKVf
— RBR Daily (@RBR_Daily) April 5, 2024
This puts Red Bull in a difficult position. Daniel Ricciardo was brought in last season to audition for the second Red Bull seat, which is currently filled in by an under-pressure Sergio Perez. However, Ricciardo’s performances so far haven’t instilled confidence in the Milton-Keynes-based outfit.
So, Ricciardo may have to vacate the V-CARB (formerly AlphaTauri) seat next season so that Lawson gets his shot. On the other hand, Red Bull can take a gamble and add him to the main roster alongside Verstappen.
