Lawson FUTURE mapped out after AlphaTauri contract deal

Luis Raya
Sunday 24 September 2023 12:57

Franz Tost has confirmed that Liam Lawson will be AlphaTauri's third driver in 2024, following the announcement of Yuki Tsunoda and Daniel Ricciardo staying as official drivers for the upcoming season.

Ricciardo's accident at the Dutch Grand Prix and his replacement by Lawson opened a Pandora's box at AlphaTauri.

The 21-year-old New Zealander has demonstrated a remarkable adaptation to the category and impressive performance, earning his first points at the Singapore Grand Prix and proving himself worthy of being on the grid.

This left the team with three drivers vying for just two seats in 2024, sparking a range of opinions about who should be in the lineup for the upcoming season.

At the recent Japanese Grand Prix, Lawson just missed out on scoring points with a P11 finish but still managed to outperform Tsunoda.

However, on Saturday at Suzuka, the team finally made the official announcement of their 2024 lineup, confirming that Ricciardo and Tsunoda will continue with the team.

Franz Tost, Scuderia AlphaTauri team principal, said: “Next year, the technical regulations remain largely unchanged, and it was therefore logical to go for continuity in our driver line-up too.

"I am very pleased with the development that Yuki has shown over the last two and a half years with our team and with Daniel’s great race-winning experience we will have one of the most competitive driver pairings on the grid in 2024.

"Peter [Bayer] and Laurent [Mekies] will have a great duo to start the new season in the right direction."

READ MORE: AlphaTauri reveal F1 driver pairing for next season

Lawson to be AlphaTauri's third driver in 2024

Lawson's options for being on the grid in 2024 were either with AlphaTauri or with Williams, either through a loan deal or by severing ties with Red Bull, as it is the only seat yet to be confirmed for the upcoming season.

However, Tost confirmed that the New Zealander will have to wait for at least one more season to become an official driver for AlphaTauri and will serve as the team's third driver in 2024.

Tost said: "As for Liam, who has impressed everyone in his races so far, he will definitely help the team in his development role as a third driver, and I’m sure he will have a future in Formula One soon."

In this way, the 21-year-old driver will have at least one more season to develop and continue growing within the Red Bull family.

His primary goal would be to debut with AlphaTauri in 2025, although this will depend on the performance of both the Red Bull drivers and those in AlphaTauri.

READ MORE: Ricciardo and Tsunoda deals symbolic of Red Bull failings with AlphaTauri decision making