Red Bull reserve Liam Lawson says he has no clarity on when or if he will return to the grid in Formula 1, despite his impressive five-race interim stint with AlphaTauri last year.
Lawson stepped in for Daniel Ricciardo last season after a practice crash at the Dutch GP left the Australian out of commission.
With minimal preparation and entrusted with a limited performing car, Lawson acquitted himself well, the 21-year-old qualifying among the top-ten in Singapore and scoring two championship points on race day at Marina Bay.
Many expected Lawson's heroics to translate into a permanent seat at Red Bull’s rebranded RB outfit for 2024. However, the team opted to retain Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda, leaving the Kiwi once again as a reserve driver.
While Red Bull has hinted at promoting Lawson to a full-time drive in 2025, there are no guarantees that such a scenario will pan out.
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This lack of clarity leaves Lawson's facing an uncertain F1 future, despite his evident talent.
“Honestly, there’s no set timeline for my future,” Lawson told Speedcafe. “There’s nothing set in stone, obviously, with my future.
“Basically, for me, it’s about staying ready and hopefully we have some opportunity coming.”
©AlphaTauri
While waiting in the wings, embedded on race weekends with Red Bull Racing, Lawson is unfortunately precluded from taking part in FP1 session with either Red Bull outfit as he no longer qualifies as a rookie in F1.
The sport mandates that teams give rookies, defined as drivers with less than three Grand Prix starts, a chance to drive a current-spec car during one FP1 session per season.
But Lawson's five races last year have stripped him of his rookie status, meaning he can't gain valuable practice time in a competitive car during FP1 sessions.
“I still feel like a rookie,” he admitted. “It’ll basically be mostly simulator work, and then going to all the races with the team as reserve.”
Despite his uncertain future, F1 remains Lawson’s top priority, especially as his experience last year confirmed that he is worthy of a permanent drive.
“Obviously, it gives you confidence in yourself,” he said. “Every driver, at this level anyway, has enough self-belief to be in Formula 1 – you have to have it even to come close.
“But it’s different because obviously I always imagine what it would be to [like] drive in Formula 1,” he added.
“Now I know what it’s like. It’s a different perspective. I’ve had the smallest little taste of it, yeah, so it’s a different perspective.
“It definitely makes it more frustrating.”
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