Liam Lawson was one of the names tipped to replace Logan Sargeant at Williams, following the latter’s mid-season departure earlier this week. However, reports suggest that Red Bull prevented the move from happening.
The New Zealander was the primary candidate to drive for Williams for the remaining nine races of 2024. Team Principal James Vowles also checked with Christian Horner about his availability. But Red Bull had other plans for its junior driver.
According to a report by Formu1a.uno, Red Bull is considering him as a potential option for a mid-season swap. Both Red Bull and its sister team, RB, are facing difficulties with their drivers. Daniel Ricciardo and Sergio Perez are not performing as expected, and their time with the team could be cut short at any moment. Perez, in particular, is at significant risk of losing his seat.
Liam Lawson was reportedly James Vowles’ first choice to replace Sargeant
However Red Bull wasn’t willing to let him go in case they needed to make a mid-season change at Red Bull or VCARB, according to @formu1a__uno
[https://t.co/TR3FS3QTvA] pic.twitter.com/Fn8zasgS5p
— RBR Daily (@RBR_Daily) August 27, 2024
If Perez is sacked, Ricciardo would be the immediate choice to replace him on a short-term basis, despite his underwhelming form. This shows the shortage of top-level drivers available to Red Bull.
In that scenario, Lawson would be called upon to take over Ricciardo’s seat at RB. Lawson’s previous five F1 appearances also came as a substitute for the Perth-born driver. Ricciardo injured himself in Zandvoort in 2023 and had to undergo surgery, which paved the way for the 22-year-old to make his debut.
Lawson performed well in those five races, scoring two points at the Singapore GP, where he also out-qualified Max Verstappen. Unfortunately for him, he was sidelined again upon Ricciardo’s return and has remained there since
Lawson’s position for 2025
Lawson reportedly has a clause in his Red Bull contract that allows him to explore other options if the Austrian team cannot provide him with a seat in 2025. Red Bull boss Horner is aware of this.
He also clarified a past comment made by Helmut Marko, where the 81-year-old insisted that Lawson would drive one of the Red Bull cars in 2025.
“I asked [Marko] quite clearly, and he said he’ll have ‘a drive’ in Formula 1 next year… I checked with Helmut, his comment earlier, and he said, ‘No, I didn’t say which car, he just said a drive’.’”
If Red Bull isn’t obligated to give Lawson one of its seats, they could loan him to other teams. They had the chance to do so this year with Williams but chose to keep him at Milton Keynes as a safety net instead. However, in 2025, the Hastings-born driver seems poised to secure a full-time seat finally.
