Following an impressive stint last season, Liam Lawson, the junior driver for Red Bull Racing, was under the spotlight for Scuderia AlphaTauri, after replacing the injury-hit Daniel Ricciardo. However, this season he has been left in the shadows by the team, with a reserve role.
Recently Liam Lawson has resurfaced back into the Formula 1 news with his latest action against his teammate Daniel Ricciardo.
Liam Lawson poses with fake Daniel Ricciardo
In the 2023 season, Liam Lawson had burst into the Formula 1 scene with AlphaTauri at the Dutch Grand Prix, after Daniel Ricciardo was sidelined with a broken hand injury. At that time, he struck the race paddocks as a promising young speedster, despite running in a handful of Grand Prix weekends.
Fast forward to the 2024 season, he was soon overshadowed by Daniel Ricciardo, who took over as the #2 driver, at the ‘AlphaTauri-rebranded Visa Cash App RB team. As a result, Lawson found himself as the third-choice racer at both the Red Bull teams.
However, today, the Kiwi has come back to the scenes due to a certain story he uploaded on Instagram—one that caught the eyes of Daniel Ricciardo.
Liam Lawson on IG "Nice to catch up @danielricciardo"
— RBR Daily (@RBR_Daily) March 16, 2024
😭😭 pic.twitter.com/pw7ocubJZ9
On Sunday, 16th of March, Lawson posted a picture alongside a person who appeared to be a thinner Daniel Ricciardo at first glance. However, after a closer look, it became crystal-clear that the man is a ‘surprising’ lookalike of Ricciardo.
From what it seems like, Lawson met this ‘Ricciardo lookalike’ while hanging out in a restaurant, and immediately captured the moment with a quick pose. Right after that, he uploaded the picture on his Instagram story and tagged Daniel Ricciardo with the caption “Nice to catch up”.
This hilarious banter by Lawson comes at a time when his future in Formula 1 is up in the air, as he is still without a full-time seat.
Liam Lawson’s F1 future
In a recent interview with Speed Cafe, Liam Lawson has publicly admitted that his future in Formula 1 looks uncertain, due to being denied a full-time seat at RB at the season’s start, when they announced Yuki Tsunoda and Daniel Ricciardo as their top choices. His present role behind the Red Bull dominators, Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez, as a reserve racer isn’t helping his situation either.
Talking about his future, he started, “Honestly, there’s no set timeline for my future. There’s nothing set in stone, obviously, with my future.”
😬 Liam Lawson doesn't currently have a seat in F1, and his future is very uncertain.
— Racing Infinity (@RacingInfinity1) March 16, 2024
📈 He showed his talent last year, but there was no seat left for him on the grid. https://t.co/2M3l7nRrmj
“Basically, for me, it’s about staying ready and hopefully we have some opportunity coming”, he added. During the interview, he also touched up on his 2024 racing program, by saying “I still feel like a rookie.”
“It’ll basically be mostly simulator work, and then going to all the races with the team as reserve.”
From what SportsZion understands, the 22-year-old Lawson will have doors opening up for him in the 2025 season, when a majority of the F1 racers go out of contract.
Liam Lawson will be watching the 2024 Australian GP from the sidelines, as all the Red Bull drivers take on the Melbourne Grand Prix circuit on 24th March.
Can Lawson pull out Ricciardo at Visa Cash App RB this season? Will he even manage to take any seat beyond this season? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
