Liam Lawson, Max Verstappen, 2023 — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 Driver Transfers

F1 team's intention to SNATCH Red Bull star revealed

Liam Lawson was wanted by Williams before they signed Franco Colapinto

Simmey Hannifin Donaldson

Wednesday 28 August 2024 18:57

It has been revealed that one Red Bull star could have found his way into a very different seat on the Formula 1 grid sooner than expected had one team had their way.

Liam Lawson - a former junior star for Red Bull and current F1 reserve driver - hugely impressed when stepping into the sport as a substitute in 2023 and since has been awaiting a promotion to full-time driver.

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The Kiwi replaced Daniel Ricciardo for five races at AlphaTauri (now Visa Cash App RB) when the Australian sustained a broken hand that left him unable to drive the car and made a strong case for a permanent gig.

The highlight of Lawson's short stint came in Singapore, where he secured P9 and a points finish despite the track's notoriety for being one of the most gruelling circuits on the calendar.

Liam Lawson stepped in at AlphaTauri in 2023

Liam Lawson finished P9 at the 2023 Singapore GP

Lawson revealed as F1 team's first choice

After an impressive string of cameos in the sport, Red Bull are under pressure to put Liam Lawson into either their car, or reward him with a seat at their junior VCARB team next season.

However, it appears that Lawson had another option that would have seen him race as soon as this weekend in Monza.

According to Formu1a.uno, Williams wanted to bring Lawson in as Logan Sargeant's replacement, with the American axed this week following his major shunt at the Dutch Grand Prix.

However, the report claims that Red Bull did not play ball with this idea, with the team wanting Lawson to be available to them should they need him to step in at any point for the rest of 2024.

Liam Lawson was reportedly wanted by Williams

There was speculation that Red Bull could replace Sergio Perez before the summer break, but the team then confirmed he would keep his seat until the end of the season.

Nevertheless, according to Formu1a.uno, it seems Red Bull were not willing to give up Lawson for the remainder of the season, just in case they back out of their Perez agreement.

As such, Williams announced F2 driver Franco Colapinto as Sargeant's replacement on Tuesday, and not Lawson, despite the Williams Academy driver's significant lack of experience in comparison.

Red Bull Daniel Ricciardo Liam Lawson AlphaTauri