“I Want to Be in F1”: Unhappy Liam Lawson Rebels as AlphaTauri Finalizes Yuki Tsunoda’s 2024 Contract

The Singapore GP was a thriller from start to finish. Yes, Carlos Sainz was the undisputed king of Marina Bay. There’s no question. But someone else who shone almost as bright as he did was AlphaTauri super-sub Liam Lawson. The 21-year-old was competing in his third race in Formula 1. Not to mention, it was his first time navigating through the twists and turns of Marina Bay. Considering it’s one of the most challenging tracks to get used to, he almost made it look like child’s play. What else? He was arguably the best Red Bull driver that weekend.

In qualifying, he ensured Max Verstappen wouldn’t get a chance to compete in Q3. Following his first Q3 appearance, Lawson converted it to a commendable result—a P9. While that may not seem like much, it was AlphaTauri’s best result of the season. With the performance he put in, you would think AlphaTauri would do all it could to snatch him up for 2024. Well, that’s not the case.

Liam Lawson doesn’t want to stay on the sidelines

After Daniel Ricciardo stepped up to take the seat alongside Yuki Tsunoda, Lawson became Red Bull and Alpha’s reserve driver. With Ricciardo and his fractured hand, Lawson had to fill in for the Aussie. Evidently, he’s been doing a great job, outperforming Tsunoda on all three outings he’s had. Now, AlphaTauri seems to have made a decision on its driver line-up for 2024. Unfortunately for Lawson, it wasn’t in his favor. Sources told ESPN, “Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda will stay with AlphaTauri in 2024.”

This might’ve come as a shock to the young New Zealander, especially after how well he’s adapted to life in F1. When he got the news, he spoke to Motorsport about it. As quoted by MSN, Lawson said, “I wouldn’t be happy to go back to being reserve, but obviously, I know how hard it is to get into Formula 1. On what’s happened so far, it’s been pretty positive. But I guess the message for me has just been to keep my head down now and try and keep delivering until this opportunity I have ends when Daniel comes back.”

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Despite the possible confirmation of Tsunoda’s seat, Lawson still knows what he needs to do. He continued, “Obviously, I want to be in Formula 1. Now I have this chance, I’m trying to do everything I can to show that I can be here. But in terms of all those discussions [about my F1 future], those will happen after [the Japanese GP].” With Ricciardo most probably returning to his seat in Qatar, this is the last weekend Lawson has to show he has what it takes to stay in F1 (not that he hasn’t been doing that so far). If it’s any consolation, Red Bull has been keeping a watchful eye on him.

A full-time seat for Lawson “could happen quickly”

There’s no doubt Lawson has made the most of the opportunities he’s got. What Ricciardo’s given him is like a golden ticket into F1. He knows it, and Red Bull knows it. While it may not work out in 2024, even Lawson knows he can’t just give up now. Considering he’s done so well against Tsunoda—and given the notoriously volatile Red Bull seats—his chances aren’t over yet. Recently, AlphaTauri CEO Peter Bayer mentioned how he’d like to have a young driver and an experienced driver on the team. With Ricciardo being the “experienced driver” choice, the fight is between Lawson and Tsunoda for the second seat.

Tsunoda may have won this round, but Lawson will be back for more. In an interview with F1, Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner said, “This is a golden moment in his career for him to demonstrate what he’s capable of. So, we’re obviously following his progress very closely. It’s down to him to make the best use of it.” Discussing his progress in the past few weeks, Helmut Marko shared his thoughts, too. He said, “Will he get a [full-time] seat instead of [staying] a reserve driver? That could happen quickly.”

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If Liam Lawson continues performing as he has been—and outperforms Tsunoda in his home race—could AlphaTauri give him a second glance for 2024?