Red Bull likely to snub Liam Lawson as 2025 F1 season tempts AlphaTauri decision

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Red Bull are now leaning towards naming Yuki Tsunoda and Daniel Ricciardo over Liam Lawson as the drivers at AlphaTauri for the 2024 Formula 1 season as a decision nears.

That is according to Lawrence Barretto, who reports for F1 that Red Bull are inclined to keep Tsunoda and Ricciardo. But it leaves Lawson in the lurch, despite the 21-year-old impressing many in the paddock since stepping in as a last-minute replacement at the Dutch Grand Prix.

Lawson took Ricciardo’s drive at AlphaTauri after the 34-year-old crashed in FP2 and broke a bone in his hand. It ultimately forced the Australian to undergo surgery and he is yet to fully recover from the injury. Lawson will continue to substitute for Ricciardo at the Japanese GP.

Red Bull want Ricciardo at AlphaTauri regardless of Tsunoda and Lawson

Ricciardo had only driven two Grand Prix before crashing to avoid McLaren’s Oscar Piastri at Zandvoort. He replaced Nyck de Vries at AlphaTauri after Red Bull deemed the 28-year-old’s rookie campaign to be a disaster. The team sacked the Dutch driver after 10 pointless races.

Yet despite Ricciardo’s lack of time in the seat, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner and team advisor Helmut Marko have assured the eight-time Grand Prix winner that the seat at AlphaTauri remains his. The Australian will take back over, no matter how Lawson performs.

Red Bull will wait until Ricciardo is 100% fit, possibly from the Qatar GP, to bring him back to the F1 grid again. The team are also keen to name the former Renault and McLaren driver as a full-time AlphaTauri star for 2024. It is Ricciardo’s seat regardless of what happens in 2023.

But the AlphaTauri seat beside Ricciardo’s for 2024 remains available and Red Bull remain in discussions over Tsunoda and Lawson. Although the Formula 1 team from Milton Keynes are currently leaning toward retaining the former for a fourth season at the Faenza-based outfit.

Tsunoda could even secure his future on the F1 grid at the Japanese GP

Red Bull could confirm Tsunoda’s future at this weekend’s Japanese GP, the 23-year-old’s home round. Horner and co are minded to keep the Kanagawa native for another year as he has backing from Honda, who supply both of their team’s power units until the end of 2025.

Tsunoda had amassed enough credit in the bank this year to remain ahead of Lawson in Red Bull’s pecking order. The Japanese gem has impressed the parent team’s decision-makers in 2023 after stepping up to lead AlphaTauri beside De Vries and perform despite the slow car.

It leaves Lawson in the lurch, though, as Red Bull edge toward having Ricciardo and Tsunoda race full-time for AlphaTauri. Red Bull would like to give Lawson a race seat in F1 having now taken his maiden points after becoming the first rookie to do so at a Singapore GP last week.

But three into two will not fit and Lawson faces another year on the sidelines. Only Williams also have a seat potentially up for grabs in 2024. The Grove-based squad could replace their rookie, Logan Sargeant, having failed to push teammate and ex-Red Bull driver, Alex Albon.