New Zealand Formula 1 driver [autotag]Liam Lawson[/autotag] may be only temporarily filling in for driver Daniel Ricciardo, but he may get a full-time spot on the grid sooner rather than later.
The head of Red Bull’s driver development program, Helmut Marko, revealed in an interview with Servus TV that Lawson could be in a Formula 1 seat sooner than he may have envisioned due to his impressive performances both in Japanese Super Formula and in F1 filling in for Ricciardo, according to SoyMotor.
Here is what Marko said about Lawson:
“He will continue to drive Super Formula in Japan and he is second in the Championship there. The fight is very difficult, but the cars are faster than in Formula 2. With the races being so far away, he doesn’t have as much visibility, but he can win the title. Maybe he will get a seat in Formula 1 instead of continuing as a reserve driver, that could happen quickly.”
For jumping right in, Lawson has been doing well in Ricciardo’s stead. So far, he’s beaten teammate Yuki Tsunoda in both races he’s raced in (with the addendum that Tsunoda’s engine failed before the Italian GP could begin) and has almost scored a point in his two races, placing 13th in the Dutch GP and 11th in the Italian GP.
For him to get an F1 seat soon at Red Bull, though either Ricciardo or Tsunoda would have to be out at AlphaTauri. Ricciardo is out with a broken wrist he suffered in Dutch GP practice, so what happens when he returns could be an interesting development for the driver grid in 2024.
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