Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has hinted that Liam Lawson could be given further Formula 1 chances in the upcoming season ahead of landing a permanent drive for 2025.
Lawson was overlooked for an F1 seat with AlphaTauri at both the start of the last campaign and then midway through for Nyck de Vries and Daniel Ricciardo respectively.
However, Lawson was granted his break when Ricciardo sustained a broken hand in a practice crash at Zandvoort. Across his five-round deputy spell, Lawson peaked with a ninth-place finish in Singapore, having knocked out Max Verstappen in qualifying.
The New Zealander will remain on reserve duties for Red Bull in 2024, though, as Ricciardo will return alongside Yuki Tsunoda at Red Bull’s rebranded second-string outfit.
But Marko intriguingly outlined late last year to Austrian outlet Kleine Zeitung that Lawson “has the potential to be a GP winner” and would be on the grid “by 2025 at the latest”.
When those words were put to him by OE24, Marko said: “Yes, and before that he should at least drive a few more races so that we can see where his potential really lies.”
The opportunity for Lawson to slot in at the current AlphaTauri side could arrive if Sergio Perez is axed by Red Bull midway through the year and Ricciardo takes his place.
Perez’s future was repeatedly called into question throughout a torrid 2023 season, with Marko at one stage even claiming the Mexican might “need a change of team”.
However, the stalwart Austrian has appeared to firmly quash the possibility of Perez being ousted before the expiry of his current Red Bull agreement, which runs through 2024.
“As of now, he will fulfil his contract until the end of 2024, then we’ll see,” Marko added regarding Perez’s prospects.
Reflecting on his series of stand-in appearances during 2023, Lawson was satisfied with his performance but conceded there had still been potential to do better.
“There’s always more, so I’m never going to rate a 10, so I’m thinking, considering all the situations, an eight I would say,” the 21-year-old expressed on the Brrrake F1 podcast.
“It was the most important thing I ever had to do. It basically takes over your life for that period. I put absolutely everything into it.
“So an eight I would be happy with, I would say that’s probably fair, but I think there’s always more. You finish a race, it’s like, ‘Ah, we’ve done this.’”
Despite being linked with the vacant seat at Williams until Logan Sargeant was retained, Lawson reiterated his permanent F1 bow would arrive with a Red Bull-backed team.
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