Sky Sports pundit makes ‘unfair’ claim on 21-year-old’s F1 future

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Sky Sports pundit Anthony Davidson has ‘seen enough’ from Liam Lawson to feel Red Bull should give the New Zealander a full-time Formula 1 drive at AlphaTauri for 2024.

The 21-year-old is preparing for what is likely to be his last race as the team’s stand-in driver for Daniel Ricciardo this weekend. Lawson has driven the past three rounds of the F1 season for AlphaTauri and impressed. But Ricciardo is expected to return at the upcoming Qatar GP.

Lawson has a brilliant chance to show Red Bull that he deserves to partner Ricciardo or Yuki Tsunoda at AlphaTauri next year at the Japanese GP. He is familiar with the Suzuka circuit on which F1 races having already driven around it in 2023 as part of the Super Formula season.

Lawson has impressed as Ricciardo’s stand-in at AlphaTauri

Red Bull landed Lawson a drive at Team Mugen in the Japanese single-seater championship for 2023. The team felt it would give Lawson a good learning opportunity after naming Nyck de Vries as Tsunoda’s teammate. Yet Ricciardo replaced De Vries after a mere 10 Grand Prix.

Ricciardo’s return to the F1 grid, having started this season as Red Bull’s reserve driver, only lasted two rounds, though. The 34-year-old broke a bone in his hand when crashing to avoid McLaren’s Oscar Piastri during FP2 at the Dutch GP. So, Lawson got a shock chance to race.

Lawson would weather the changeable conditions at the Dutch GP to come home in P13. He then built on the drive with a P11 finish at the Italian GP. The Kiwi only missed out on points at Monza by six seconds. Yet he would claim a maiden top 10 result during the Singapore GP.

Despite the extreme challenges presented by the Marina Bay Street Circuit, Lawson pipped Max Verstappen to reach Q3 in Singapore. He then drove a faultless race to finish in P9 and become the first rookie in Formula 1 history to achieve their first points at any Singapore GP.

Red Bull are set to snub Lawson for Tsunoda and Ricciardo

Yet despite Lawson impressing and continually improving, Red Bull are unlikely to give him a full-time F1 seat at AlphaTauri. Lawrence Barretto reports that the team from Milton Keynes are leaning towards Tsunoda and Ricciardo and could announce them over the Japanese GP.

Tsunoda built enough credit with Red Bull by leading AlphaTauri through a tricky start to the season beside De Vries. Red Bull team principal Christian Horner and advisor Helmut Marko have also told Ricciardo that he will have the other AlphaTauri seat again once he is fully fit.

What has Davidson said about Lawson’s future on the F1 grid?

So, Red Bull are set to snub Lawson for an AlphaTauri drive in 2024 and Ricciardo will regain the seat. But Davidson – who raced in 24 Formula 1 Grand Prix with Minardi, BAR and Super Aguri – feels the Kiwi has shown enough during his performances so far to merit a race seat.

“I’ve only got a small amount of evidence to base on and I’d say yes,” Davidson said on Sky Sports F1 (22/09, 08:44). “Right now, as it stands, I’ve seen enough.

“But that might change in a couple of races, including this one. So, it is just a snapshot of one driver’s ability and it’s unfair. But you have to make hay while you can.”