31/08/2023 14:09 | by Noa de Ruijter
Liam Lawson was unexpectedly allowed to take place in Daniel Ricciardo’s AlphaTauri seat during the weekend in Zandvoort, after the Australian had previously been injured during free practice. According to Lawson, the Australian still had some time to speak encouraging words to his replacement, and said that the New Zealander should make the best of it. Lawson emphasizes Ricciardo’s helpfulness on his F1 debut, and hopes his performances in the premier class will allow him to audition for a seat as a full-time driver.
“It was very sudden,” Lawson told PlanetF1 exclusively about his unexpected F1 debut at Zandvoort. ‘Of course it’s never a situation (that you want to be in, ed.) And I sympathize with Daniel (Ricciardo, ed.). I didn’t want to make my debut in Formula 1 in that way, but if you get that chance, of course you have to grab it.” Lawson was unexpectedly told during the race weekend in Zandvoort that he might have to replace Ricciardo.
According to the New Zealand driver, his F1 debut was not immediately certain, which meant an exciting two hours. “When I heard about the injury and that there was a big chance he wouldn’t be able to drive, it was very exciting for two hours before we made the decision. We had to wait until everything was 100% sure (about Ricciardo, ed.). Those two hours were pretty stressful just because I didn’t know what was going to happen. And then once it’s confirmed, maybe another hour of stress after that, but then we still had so much to do to prepare for riding, so eventually it was taken over by the workload you have to go through.’
Lawson: ‘Daniel is a great guy’
When asked if he had been in contact with Ricciardo after hearing that he would be taking over his seat for the upcoming races, Lawson replied: “Daniel (Ricciardo, ed.) Is the great guy that he is. He was super encouraging. Before he left for surgery he was still on the track and he was very helpful.” Lawson also reveals what exactly the Australian had said to him: ‘He told me to make the best of it and if I needed help, to ask him. He was very, very good at that.’
Lawson is also asked how he sees his future in Formula 1. The New Zealander then replies that he looks at it per race. “Every time you drive in F1, I think it’s a full-time audition (driver, ed.). When you get into a situation like that, you only get one chance and you don’t get it again.’ Lawson can also prove again during the Grand Prix weekend in Monza how well he can handle the F1 car.
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