2024 on the bench
TO Liam Lawson it was not enough to win two world championship points in the five GPs in which he was fielded as a starter by the AlphaTauri team to replace the injured Daniel Ricciardo to guarantee himself a stable seat for 2024. The New Zealander in fact, barring sensational reversals – which in any case within the Red Bull family can never be completely ruled out – he will return to his ‘traditional’ role as third driver for the entire next championship. In fact, in AlphaTauri the the starting couple for next season will still be composed of Yuki Tsunoda and Ricciardo himselfwho also managed to break the deadlock during the weekend of the Mexican Grand Prix and return to scoring world championship points.
Certainly for Lawson, who made an excellent impression on all those involved in the sector, even exceeding expectations, it was difficult to accept returning to the bench after having performed on the big stage for a couple of months. However, the person concerned, despite the understandable regret for not having obtained confirmation in AlphaTauri, is convinced that his better chance to race one day permanently in F1 is that of rbe linked to the Red Bull youth project.
Confidence in the project
“It’s frustrating not to drive next year – he admitted during an interesting interview given to the official F1 podcast, Beyond The Grid – but I will continue to make the most of still being involved at least in Formula 1. I’m a Red Bull driver. If I ever get an opportunity in Formula 1, it will be through Red Bull Racing. I think it will be Red Bull who will give me my chance“. This firm belief probably helped Lawson overcome the bitterness of not being promoted to permanent ‘starter’. His reasoning dates back to the end of the 2022 year, when AlphaTauri decided to choose Nyck De Vries and not him as Tsunoda’s partner.
Understandable choice
“We were having a disappointing F2 season at the time and only reversed course at the end, but it was too late. I had a great end to the season, I did some good tests in F1, but now the decision is made [di schierare De Vries] she had been taken, so it was frustrating. But I think I managed to understand why – explained Lawson – given the progress of my season. And this year too, although I’m having a better season, in a team that is strugglingthere was the possibility to choose between someone who has never been in Formula 1 and someone who has a lot of experience and has already won races [Ricciardo]. It’s frustrating to accept, but I can make sense of this decision and understand it.”
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