Liam Lawson reveals he “found out” about not having a seat in 2024 right before out-qualifying both Red Bulls in Singapore

The Kiwi racer Liam Lawson, despite his short time, had a very impressive stint with Alphatauri.

Liam Lawson reveals he “found out” about not having a seat in 2024 right before out-qualifying both Red Bulls in Singapore

Liam Lawson and Max Verstappen (via IMAGO)

Liam Lawson replaced the injured Daniel Ricciardo at the Zandvoort GP. Lawson quickly adapted to the Formula 1 racing style and scored his maiden point in his third race in Formula 1. The entire grid applauded Lawson for his performance despite being a rookie. But to his dismay, the Kiwi later discovered he would be seatless for the next season.

Lawson, the rookie, outqualified the dominant Max Verstappen and teammate Sergio Perez at the Singapore GP qualifying. He qualified in the tenth position, ahead of Verstappen in 11th and Perez in 13th. This qualifying result further helped Lawson to gain his maiden points after finishing P9 in the same race.

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Lawson was recently involved in the Beyond the Grid podcast. He said that his goal was to achieve a full-time seat in Formula 1. Lawson’s performance could’ve potentially helped him secure a seat for the next season.

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What I’m trying to achieve, ultimately, is a full-time seat. That’s what I’m trying to work towards... It was a really good feeling knowing, potentially, I’d make a big step in trying to achieve that

Liam Lawson said on the Beyond the Grid Podcast (H&T: lastwordonsports.com)

Lawson further said that before the Singapore GP qualifying, he learned about his seatless career for the next season. He later added how it was ‘tough’ and the timing was not ‘great.’ Despite scoring points at the Singapore GP, Lawson was mortified and disappointed. 

But I also knew before Singapore that I wasn’t driving and that I wasn’t going to get a seat next year. And I found out before qualifying. So the timing wasn’t great, and it was tough because nobody knew that. I think it was a similar feeling after the race. I knew that I wasn’t going to be in next year, so it definitely took away from what it would have felt like.

Helmut Marko commented on Liam Lawson’s future in Formula 1

Red Bull’s advisor Helmut Marko also applauded Liam Lawson’s stint with Alphatauri. Marko claimed that Lawson absolutely deserves a seat in Formula 1 and that he will possibly get a seat in 2025. He later added that there was no ‘guarantee’ over this. The advisor has shown belief and trust in Lawson.

Liam Lawson (Via IMAGO)
Liam Lawson (Via IMAGO)

Marko said that Lawson was provided with a very short time to perform. Following Lawson’s unfortunate spin-out at turn 13 in the Dutch practice session, Marko admitted that the 21-year-old was literally thrown into the rain at Zandvoort’s practice session.

It is indeed disappointing to see the grid overlooking such a young talent. Lawson’s performance speaks for itself and has proved that he deserves a seat in F1. Now, Lawson’s future within Formula 1 solely depends on the performance of other racers and the team leader’s whims.

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