Liam Lawson has ruled out racing for Williams next season after the young Formula One star was snubbed by Red Bull’s junior team AlphaTauri.
The Kiwi made his F1 debut at August’s Dutch Grand Prix, filling in for Daniel Ricciardo who broke his hand during practice.
He has continued to drive for AlphaTauri while the Aussie recovers, and despite his extremely limited experience has been very impressive, beating teammate Yuki Tsunoda in all four of his races and scoring his maiden points in Singapore.
The 21-year-old’s performances lead to speculation that AlphaTauri could sign him up full-time for the 2024 season, with one of Ricciardo and Tsunoda dropped, as Red Bull assess their options for the future.
It is looking likely that Sergio Perez will be axed from the senior team, with the aforementioned trio among the favourites to become Max Verstappen’s new teammate in 2025.
However, it was announced shortly before last weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix that Ricciardo and Tsunoda would be AlphaTauri’s driver line-up next year, with Lawson set to remain in a reserve role.
Many believe that Lawson is worthy of a full-time drive and have encouraged he look elsewhere, but there is only one seat left on the grid for 2024, with Williams yet to confirm Alex Albon’s teammate.
The seat is currently occupied by Logan Sargeant but the American has struggled in his rookie season, is yet to score a point and since the summer break has been involved in a number of big crashes.
Some believe the British team should move for Lawson, but he himself has re-affirmed his commitment to the Red Bull family, telling Autosport: ‘I’m a Red Bull driver, all the Red Bull seats are filled, and unfortunately that means for now I’ll be a reserve driver.
‘To be honest, I haven’t thought about it [missing out on an AlphaTauri seat] too much. I think right now I’m focused on making the most of this opportunity.
‘Obviously ultimately my goal is to be in F1, and the best way to achieve that is by extracting the best possible performance as I can in these races. So maybe I’ll think about it after!
‘Honestly, right now I’m trying to just do the best job in these races that I can, I think once the stint that I have is over, then I can start looking at potentially how I’ve done, and what options there are, but right now I’m focused on these races.’
Red Bull boss Christian Horner also dismissed Lawson’s links to Williams was to them, adding: ‘It would be unlikely that they would take a driver for one year.
‘I think he certainly turned heads and gave us plenty to think about, in particular following his Singapore drive. He’s doing everything possible to justify a case for a full-time drive but unfortunately, three into two just doesn’t go.’
It is unclear whether or not Lawson has raced for the last time in 2023, with Ricciardo expected to be fit in time to race at next weekend’s Qatar Grand Prix, though nothing is guaranteed yet.
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