Liam Lawson had a great performance at the Singapore Grand Prix, finishing 9th on the challenging city circuit and earning points in his third race in Formula 1. But in less than a week he will once again drive an AlphaTauri car at the round in Japan as Daniel Ricciardo continues to recover from a left hand injury he suffered in Zandvoort.
Ricciardo was in the team’s pits during the Singapore weekend, but he will not be present at the Japanese Grand Prix.
“Daniel is now flying to Australia to continue his physiotherapy procedures and will provide us with moral support, but he will not be in Suzuka himself,” AlphaTauri CEO Peter Bayer told ServusTV.
This is obviously good news for Liam, who will benefit from gaining experience in a Formula 1 car, especially as, unlike Singapore’s Marina Bay, he knows the Suzuka circuit well. This season, the 21-year-old New Zealander competes in the Japanese Super Formula series and takes second place in the individual competition one round before the end of the championship.
“It would be great because I know the Suzuka circuit much better and it should be very interesting to drive a Formula 1 car there,” said Lawson about his prospects for next weekend.
As for plans for next year and the chances of taking the place of one of the AlphaTauri team drivers, he tries not to think about it for the time being: “It depends on many factors. And if I try to think about everything at once, I can easily put too much pressure on myself.
To be honest, I can’t say anything about next year yet. Getting a contract as a main driver in a Formula 1 team is very difficult, but I believe that now you should not think about all kinds of external factors, but just concentrate on your work and show in every session what I am in is up to.”
At the same time, Peter Bayer confirmed that negotiations with candidates for a place in the 2024 team are already underway, and praised Lawson’s work in Singapore.
“I thought his car was twice as wide as his rivals! – he said cheerfully after yesterday’s race. “Liam remained calm and came across as a seasoned professional. He fought like a lion.
Negotiations are already in full swing. Liam is doing everything he needs to do, so we will soon find out who will be driving the AlphaTauri cars next year. But Daniel will definitely return behind the wheel of his car and Liam wants to finish the season in Japanese Super Formula.”
The season finale in this series will take place from October 27 to 29 at the Suzuka circuit – the same weekend the Formula 1 Grand Prix of Mexico City will take place.
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
