In Formula 1 you have to seize every opportunity and an important opportunity is coming for Liam Lawson (21). In the Japanese GP he can saddle everyone at AlphaTauri and Red Bull with a lot of thinking for 2024. “Things can change quickly in F1.”
When Daniel Ricciardo impressed Red Bull team boss Christian Horner and Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko in his testing, the idea arose to give the Australian another chance in Formula 1. There was a plan behind it.
At sister team AlphaTauri, the still unpolished Yuki Tsunoda did well in a poor car. The Japanese lost his teammate, the Dutch rookie Nyck De Vries.
After just 10 GPs, De Vries had to make way for Ricciardo. Red Bull placed Ricciardo at AlphaTauri as a benchmark for Tsunoda, to see whether the Japanese was cut from the right stuff to one day drive for Red Bull.
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That plan fell apart when Ricciardo broke a bone in his hand in Zandvoort. Enter Liam Lawson, the 21-year-old Red Bull product who was in the waiting room as a reserve driver.
The New Zealander does not have the greatest credentials, but was thrown into the deep end in Zandvoort. Lawson turned out to be able to swim, almost literally in the rain in the Netherlands. His performance in Monza (11th) was also worth seeing and then Singapore still had to come.
In qualifying he condemned none other than Max Verstappen to Q2 and he did even better in the race. In the most exhausting GP of the year, he kept his cool and took advantage of retirements from Ocon and Russell to score 2 important points in 9th.
These were his first World Cup points, but more importantly, he also scored points with Red Bull bosses. Even though he also causes them headaches.
Liam Lawson scores points in Singapore.
Ricciardo, Tsunoda and Lawson: 3 drivers for 2 seats
That’s how it is. The only available seats in F1 for 2024 can be found at Williams and AlphaTauri (2). AlphaTauri may now be last among the constructors, but the racing team seems attractive for 2024.
Because next year the ties with Red Bull will become closer again and parts of the Red Bull car will also be used by AlphaTauri.
Ricciardo seems confident of his seat. The Australian is said to have received guarantees from Horner and co for 2024 when he replaced De Vries.
Ricciardo’s experience is welcome at AlphaTauri. He is still recovering from the fracture in his hand, but was already there in Singapore and sat on the pit wall during the sessions to provide advice to the team.
In 2025, the Australian could take his place at Red Bull again, alongside Max Verstappen.
The injured Daniel Ricciardo follows his team closely.
“Fixed seat for Lawson? That could change quickly in F1”
Tsunoda’s future is suddenly shrouded in doubt. The irascible Japanese did not perform well in Monza and Singapore.
He couldn’t do much about the mechanical failure in the warm-up lap in Italy and the contact with an over-enthusiastic Sergio Perez in Singapore, but completing 0 laps in 2 GPs doesn’t look good on your CV.
And Lawson just showed his reliability. “We are following his performance very closely,” said Horner. “This is a unique opportunity for him to show what he has to offer. Daniel’s bad luck was lucky for Liam. He must take advantage of it.”
Tsunoda still seems to be in pole position and has the best trump cards in his hands. He performed well in the first half of the season and is of course supported by Honda, which is working with Red Bull for the engine until 2025. After that, the Japanese have a deal with the Aston Martin team.
But Lawson is grabbing his chance in F1 with both hands. Horner: “He shows that he is a talent for the future. We have a luxury problem.”
Helmut Marko also sees this: “Whether Lawson can get a permanent seat in Formula 1 instead of a role as a reserve driver? That can change very quickly in F1.”
Just ask Nyck de Vries.
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Formula 1 World Championship 2023 rankings
position riders
builders stand
PositionRiderConstructorPoints
1
Max Verstappen
Red Bull Racing
374
2
Sergio Perez
Red Bull Racing
223
3
Lewis Hamilton
Mercedes
180
4
Fernando Alonso
Aston Martin
170
5
Carlos Sainz
Scuderia Ferrari
142
6
Charles Leclerc
Scuderia Ferrari
123
7
George Russell
Mercedes
109
8
Lando Norris
McLaren
97
9
Lance Stroll
Aston Martin
47
10
Pierre Gasly
Alpine
45
show more
Pos.ConstructorPoints
1
Red Bull Racing
597
2
Mercedes
289
3
Scuderia Ferrari
265
4
Aston Martin
217
5
McLaren
139
6
Alpine
81
7
Williams Racing
21
8
Haas F1 Team
12
9
Alfa Romeo
10
10
AlphaTauri
5
2023-09-22 07:55:30
#rookie #Liam #Lawson #giving #Red #Bull #bosses #headaches #formula
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