Liam Lawson is currently making a big impression with the AlphaTauri team. The young New Zealander suddenly had to join Red Bull Racing’s Italian sister team in Zandvoort. He won his first World Cup points last weekend in Singapore. Lawson’s successes are an example of the successes of the Red Bull Junior Team, but at the same time he is also causing Red Bull headaches.
In Zandvoort, Daniel Ricciardo injured his metacarpal during the second free practice. Lawson was then called in by AlphaTauri and he was allowed to take a seat in the AT04 for the first time in the third free practice. The young Lawson has made a great impression since then. He can keep up with his teammate Yuki Tsunoda and he drives so strongly that it is hard to believe that this is a rookie.
Rookie
But actually, Lawson is officially no longer a rookie. He has now completed three Grands Prix and the FIA considers a driver a rookie if he has completed two or fewer Grands Prix. With this, Lawson actually saddles his employer Red Bull with a problem. This has to do with the new rules regarding rookies that Formula 1 introduced last year.
Since last year, all teams have been obliged to use a rookie at least twice during the free training sessions. Lawson was on pole position to drive two free practice sessions for Red Bull Racing. The New Zealander is functioning as a reserve driver for the Red Bull teams this season and he also drives under that flag in the Super Formula. However, due to his AlphaTauri raid, this opportunity passes him by.
Options limited
This is not only a shame for Lawson, but it is also a problem for Red Bull. The Austrian racing team has not yet deployed a single rookie and there are only a few options left. There are still seven races on the calendar, but three of those race weekends will feature a Sprint and Las Vegas is a completely new circuit.
That actually leaves two options: Mexico and Abu Dhabi. There is a very small chance that Sergio Perez will have to give up his car in front of his compatriots at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. Max Verstappen can give up his car here and that would mean that Perez would have to miss the first free practice in Abu Dhabi.
Jake Dennis
That leaves one problem for Red Bull: which driver will the team use? In Singapore, Red Bull team boss Christian Horner already discussed this matter and hinted at Formula E champion and Red Bull simulator driver Jake Dennis, but with this choice Red Bull would be pushing aside its own junior team. This could also cause criticism and raised eyebrows.
Talents
Anyone who takes a look at the current Red Bull juniors will see that Isack Hadjar would have the best chance of training. Hadjar can actually only drive in Mexico, because AlphaTauri team boss Franz Tost already promised him a training ride in Abu Dhabi earlier this year. This leaves Red Bull with two choices: break Tost’s promise or bring in another driver.
This brings Dennis back into the picture. The Brit has enough experience and will therefore not experience much pressure during free training. Formula 2 talents Dennis Hauger, Jak Crawford, Ayumu Iwasa, Enzo Fittipaldi and Zane Maloney are probably not eligible for this. Red Bull will announce who will drive in the coming weeks. There will probably be no rookie driving next weekend in Japan, and Red Bull has certainly not communicated anything about that yet.
