“We Are in Competition”: David Coulthard Jokes an ‘Open Threat’ to Red Bull’s Super Sub Liam Lawson

David Coulthard’s status at Red Bull is nothing short of a legend. The key to that status lies in his history with the team. Coulthard was among the first drivers the Milton Keynes outfit hired since its inception. To this day, he proudly sports the team’s name when taking their speedsters around the world for show runs. The 52-year-old most recently got the chance to take the RB19 out for a spin. Also present for the run was AlphaTauri super sub, Liam Lawson. Their union, however, gave birth to a hilarious exchange where Coulthard openly threatened Lawson.

Coulthard, as quoted by GP Blog, told Lawson,

“You know we are in competition for the drive in this car next year. So, once I get my suit on, I can’t be friendly.” 

Lawson is currently serving Red Bull as a reserve driver. Is that perhaps the seat Coulthard was jokingly threatening the New Zealand driver for? Believe it or not, team boss Christian Horner joined in on the banter as well. Levelling up the pressure on the youngster, he said,

“Don’t f**k it up.”

Lawson may have come in as a stop-gap arrangement for AlphaTauri but he stamped his authority with aplomb. The 21-year-old came in as a replacement for Daniel Ricciardo who suffered an injury after a nasty crash. In his 5 races, Lawson scored just 2 points for the team but made a case for himself for the future with the composed demeanour he put on display.

This, in turn, has given the Red Bull management a headache. Both Red Bull and AlphaTauri have decided to continue with their current driver lineup in 2024 but that does not do Lawson any good. The Austrian outfit will have to soon find a regular seat for him to avoid losing him to another team.

When can Liam Lawson get a realistic chance at a regular seat?

Given how Red Bull likes to test young drivers with an AlphaTauri (erstwhile Toro Rosso) stint before the promotion to the main team, it is more likely that Lawson will have to go through that test. But those gates are closed for him for at least 2024. For 2025, a lot would depend on whether Daniel Ricciardo or Yuki Tsunoda gets a promotion. An empty AlphaTauri seat could open that opportunity for Lawson.

However, all these speculations could bite the dust if Red Bull, notorious for making mid-season changes, decides to sack underperforming Sergio Perez in 2024. That would realistically open the RB gates for Tsunoda and Ricciardo, and who knows, maybe even young Lawson himself.

All this is because Perez has gone through a royal slump in 2023. After an impressive 2022 season, the Mexican driver openly made his championship ambitions known before the start of the 2023 season. To be fair to him, he had a scintillating start to the season after registering 2 wins from the first 4 races. However, ever since, his form took a steady dip. The only saving grace was the P2 finish in the championship.

AlphaTauri or Red Bull, Lawson would take the opportunity with both hands without a shadow of a doubt. Surely it’s just a matter of time before that opportunity presents itself. Otherwise, there are other teams lurking and Red Bull knows that too well.