Despite Approval From Helmut Marko and Christian Horner, Ex AlphaTauri Boss Was Skeptical About Liam Lawson

Liam Lawson has made a good name for himself in the F1 circle in 2023. He will be the reserve driver for AlphaTauri and Red Bull going into the new F1 season, after showing stand out performances in four races last year. However, AlphaTauri CEO Peter Bayer revealed that it wasn’t straightforward for Lawson to get the drive and his current role.

Ex team boss Franz Tost was not convinced with the Kiwi driver, courtesy of his results, despite Christian Horner and Helmut Marko thinking otherwise. Advertisement Speaking to , Bayer stated, Bayer explained that purely looking at results, doesn’t seem to a be stand out driver. Thus, there is logic from the statistical point of view in Tost’s judgment.

However, a driver with average statistics needs to be able to match and beat the best. Advertisement Horner and Marko knew that the 21 year old had been racing in multiple categories. Lawson raced for the Red Bull AF Corse team in DTM in 2021. Thus, they had an understanding of how quick the New Zealander was.

Loading embed tweet https://twitter.com/wearetherace/status/1711407330963710168?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Bayer also cited the same point of the variety in Lawson’s racing portfolio. If one looks at his F2 statistics, the Kiwi has not been a breakout star in his two seasons, which leans toward ‘s view.

However, Bayer recalled that he did some good racing during this time both in DTM and in F2. After a long discussion with Horner and Bayer, Tost was finally convinced to give Lawson a shot. And the prodigy did not disappoint. Given a limited amount of races, after Daniel Ricciardo got injured, he made the most of it.

How did Liam Lawson convince everyone of his potential? Jumping into the car on short notice, Liam Lawson had an uphill task in one of the slowest cars on the grid. Still, he went to work to have a decent debut race in Zandvoort, that too in changeable conditions. Following this, in just his third race in Singapore, the Kiwi driver scored points too.

Advertisement It was a memorable weekend for Lawson as he got into the news for eliminating Max Verstappen in Q2. The P9 finish in an AlphaTauri car then turned a lot of heads which was the cherry on top on a tough weekend for all other Red Bull drivers. Loading embed tweet https://twitter.com/SkySportsF1/status/1714989781711458676?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw This small yet successful stint of races has put the 21 year old hat in the ring for a Red Bull or AlphaTauri seat in the future.

While the Faenza outfit has retained Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda for 2024, of the picture. With Sergio Perez’s future uncertain amid inconsistent form, there are chances Ricciardo may replace him at RBR. This opens the door for Lawson to take the vacant seat at . With the kind of performances Liam showed in 2023, the Red Bull and AlphaTauri bosses won’t hesitate to sign the Kiwi driver next time around.

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