AlphaTauri reportedly snubs Liam Lawson, retains Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda
Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda are expected to retain their seats at AlphaTauri while substitute Liam Lawson's efforts seem to be in vain as he will go back to reserve role at Red Bull.
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The driver situation at AlphaTauri seems to be getting more unstable by the day. The Faenza-based outfit dropped Nyck deVries mid-season right before the Hungarian GP citing poor performance. On the other hand, they took up Daniel Ricciardo, who was serving as the reserve driver for Red Bull for 2023. But the Honey Badger’s comeback was cut short due to a giant crash at the Practice Session ahead of the Dutch GP. He suffered a wrist injury due to the incident and has been recuperating ever since.
To warm Daniel Ricciardo’s seat beside Yuki Tsunoda till he comes back, Red Bull loaned Liam Lawson to their sister team. Liam is another reserve driver who has shown immense promise to capture a seat at the Austrian outfit. The Kiwi got his first points finish with a masterful drive at the Singapore GP. He surprised all by surpassing the likes of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez in the Qualifying. This led to many fans wondering if Liam’s excellent form would get him a seat at AlphaTauri instead of Ricciardo for 2024.
Unfortunately, Yuki Tsunoda’s time at AlphaTauri is also coming to an end by this season. The Japanese youngster has wowed with his performance for the Faenza-based team, but is still not confirmed to be continuing with them for next year. This has led to a situation where Daniel Ricciardo, Liam Lawson, and Yuki Tsunoda are vying for two seats at Red Bull’s sister team. And reports have now come out claiming that it is the youngest of the three who will miss out on a drive in 2024.
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Liam Lawson seems at a disadvantage for a seat at AlphaTauri in 2024
Liam Lawson’s hard work might turn out to be futile as he is reportedly not being considered at AlphaTauri for next season. Even though he claimed he has gotten a taste of F1 through his short stint as Daniel Ricciardo’s replacement, the Kiwi will perhaps need to wait longer before debuting in the king class of motorsports. Because of Lawson’s amazing results in just three races for AlphaTauri, fans believed it would be him and Daniel Ricciardo for 2024, while Yuki Tsunoda will stay at Red Bull waiting to capture Sergio Perez’s seat.
But now, an explosive report by ESPN has claimed that AlphaTauri have made their pick for the next season already. And it is going to be Daniel Ricciardo with Yuki Tsunoda for 2024. Meanwhile, Liam Lawson was asked for his comments on a situation where he has to sit out because there are not enough seats at AlphaTauri. He said, “I wouldn’t be happy to go back to being reserve but obviously I know how hard it is to get to Formula One. So what will happen will happen, but these things I haven’t really thought about too much.”
Meanwhile, Daniel Ricciardo is all set to make a comeback to racing at the Qatar GP to be held on October 8. But for the time being, it is Liam Lawson who will get another chance to prove himself at Suzuka. It might even be that Liam gets another great finish at Yuki Tsunoda’s home Grand Prix, and that will lead to Red Bull changing their minds about demoting him to a reserve role for next season once again.
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