Liam Lawson breaks silence on how Daniel Ricciardo’s promotion to AlphaTauri affects his F1 future

Daniel Ricciardo replaced Nyck de Vries at AlphaTauri since the Hungarian GP for the rest of the season.

Daniel Ricciardo (Left, credits: Racing News 365) and Liam Lawson (Right, credits: Formula 2)

As the news broke of Daniel Ricciardo‘s surprise replacement for Nyck De Vries at AlphaTauri, the F1 world speculated about the team’s decision. For Red Bull junior Liam Lawson, the announcement raised questions about his F1 prospects. However, Lawson remains unfazed by the arrival of the experienced Australian driver.

“To be honest, I don’t really think it does much for me; it doesn’t change much for me,” Liam Lawson stated when asked about Daniel Ricciardo‘s return on his F1 future. He clarified that his main focus this season is on Super Formula, aiming to win races, fight for the championship, and finish strong before considering a move to Formula 1.

Lawson is confident that his performance in Super Formula will continue to make him a strong contender for an F1 seat. “My target this season, my expectations from Red Bull, is to go to Super Formula, to try and win races and fight for the championship, finish the year out before looking at F1,” he said.

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His race-winning pace and commitment to exceeding expectations demonstrate his readiness for the pinnacle of motorsport. He is just one point off the leader and is in contention for the title.

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Liam Lawson reckons that AlphaTauri needed a driver like Daniel Ricciardo as the team is currently struggling

Daniel Ricciardo with AlphaTauri (Credits: Planet Sport)

“To jump in mid-season would be extremely difficult,” Lawson explained, recognizing the challenges of joining a team midway through the year. Ricciardo has won eight races in his career and amazed Christian Horner in the Silverstone tire test, which paved his way back into F1. He emphasized that Scuderia AlphaTauri’s decision to bring in an experienced driver like Ricciardo benefited the team, particularly given their current circumstances.

AlphaTauri is last in the standings, with Ricciardo yet to score his first point of the season. “With where Scuderia AlphaTauri is at the moment, having someone experienced like Daniel was definitely helpful for the team,” Lawson said, acknowledging the importance of experience in a team striving for improvements. He pointed out that learning the ropes and catching up to someone else’s pace would have been a considerable challenge for him, thus confirming the team’s choice.

?️ | Liam Lawson on impact of Ricciardo’s return to his F1 future

“With where AlphaTauri is at the moment, having someone experienced like Daniel was definitely helpful for the team”

“It wouldn’t have been the right thing to do, so it doesn’t change anything for me”

“My target… pic.twitter.com/nFJ7d2p2Eg
— RBR News ???? (@redbulletin) August 4, 2023

Red Bull’s decision to place Ricciardo in AlphaTauri for the remainder of the season opens up possibilities for Lawson in 2024. Should Ricciardo excel, he may continue with the team, possibly paving the way for a return to the main Red Bull Racing team in 2025. The current F1 regulations require teams to run a rookie driver twice during the year. Although no teams have utilized this rule thus far, the prospect remains open for Lawson to make his F1 race debut.