Lawson admits F2 season not good enough for F1 seat
Liam Lawson knows he missed a golden opportunity to graduate to Formula One this season but admits it was an obvious choice for AlphaTauri to go in another direction.
The sister team to Red Bull, initially established to give Red Bull Academy drivers such as Lawson opportunities at the top level, had an empty seat for 2023 after Pierre Gasly joined Alpine for next season.
Lawson has spent 2022 as the reserve driver for AlphaTauri and Red Bull, and has been the former’s rookie test driver, but was overlooked when the seat became free, as AlphaTauri signed Mercedes reserve driver Nyck de Vries.
Speaking to the Weekend Herald, Lawson said he hadn’t had a conversation with AlphaTauri about the decision because it seemed clear given how his Formula 2 season had played out.
“I feel ready for Formula One, especially with the F1 tests I’ve done,
I think there’s no reason why I shouldn’t be there,” Lawson said. “But at the same time, there are results on paper, and this year, they haven’t been there. So it doesn’t matter what the reasons are, at the end of the day, there’s no excuse. As unfortunate as it is, it was a bit expected.”
Lawson started his Formula 2 campaign strongly, finishing on the podium in the year’s first three races, including a win in the sprint race in Saudi Arabia. However, he has had his share of issues this season and was forced to retire from four races, including three feature races, which have more points at stake.
While he has had plenty of speed, he hasn’t been able to take full advantage and sits seventh in the standings heading into the final event of the season in Abu Dhabi in a fortnight.
“It would be difficult for them to put someone who’s — I don’t even know where I am in the F2 championship right now — but wherever I am, it’s not ideal, and you can’t put somebody in a Formula One seat when they’ve had a bad season like this.
“That’s more or less the reason behind it, but I’m still in the programme and I have another opportunity next year to keep striving for that. The goal is still the same, and hopefully in another 12 months, I’ll be more ready than I am now.”
Despite not getting the role, Lawson has impressed in his two opportunities in Formula One practice sessions this season — particularly last weekend in Mexico, where he was the fastest of the five rookie drivers on track. All teams are required to give rookie drivers opportunities in practice sessions at two events on the calendar and AlphaTauri ran Lawson in both of theirs.
But although the team had reached their requirements, Lawson could be back in a Formula One car again this season, tipped to take the wheel of Max Verstappen’s car, with Red Bull still having a session owed to a rookie. This opportunity is yet to be confirmed, however.
Lawson could not confirm what he’s doing in 2023, with plans still in motion and yet to be signed off, but he was excited about his future in the Red Bull programme. Still only 20 years old, Lawson knew more F1 seats would open during his career and said he didn’t feel pressure that came with many tipping him as the likely next young star to make the step up.