F1 pundit feels Red Bull reserve driver could be under consideration for a seat with rival teams

F1 pundit and former F1 driver Karun Chandhok feels many teams would be looking to hire Red Bull's reserve driver and current interim AlphaTauri driver Liam Lawson, particularly if he does not get a seat in his current team.

The New Zealand rookie has made a name for himself by performing brilliantly in the absence of the main AlphaTauri driver Daniel Ricciardo, who is recovering from a hand injury. He has already scored two points at the 2023 F1 Singapore GP by finishing ninth.

It should be noted that Red Bull originally opted to replace the underperforming Nyck de Vries by giving Ricciardo an AlphaTauri seat instead of Lawson.

Despite Lawson's decent performances, AlphaTauri will reportedly keep Yuki Tsunoda and Daniel Ricciardo for the 2024 F1 season, which leaves the young rookie empty-handed. Hence, Chandhok reckons other teams, especially Williams, could be looking at Lawson as a potential driver for the future.

Speaking to Sky Sports, the F1 pundit stated that Williams driver Alex Albon has out-qualified his rookie teammate Logan Sargeant in every race. Hence, the team could be looking elsewhere for a better racer for 2024 and beyond.

Karun Chandhok said:

“If I was Williams, I would definitely be looking at Liam Lawson. You’ve got to have the conversation, haven’t you? Because, you know, Albon’s out-qualified Sargeant on every occasion, he has scored all the points so far for Williams. If you are Williams, you should be shopping around and Liam Lawson has put himself on the market in a very good way.”

Though Daniel Ricciardo's injury recovery is taking several weeks, AlphaTauri are not sweating too much as they have a reliable backup driver in Liam Lawson. However, Red Bull could soon lose yet another youngster if other teams lure the young New Zealander after seeing his talent.

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"I'm sure he'll be fine" - Red Bull team boss on Liam Lawson's sudden entry in F1 due to Daniel Ricciardo's injury

A few weeks ago, Red Bull team boss Christian Horner spoke about the challenges of being an F1 reserve driver and how prepared they need to be if one of the main drivers is unable to race. Liam Lawson recently found himself in such a situation right after the second practice session at the 2023 F1 Dutch GP.

Horner praised the rookie since he hardly had any time in an F1 car but still managed to race brilliantly in an extremely chaotic race around Zandvoort. He secured a 13th-place finish, two places ahead of teammate Yuki Tsunoda.

Speaking with Sky F1, Horner said:

"That's why he's here. He's the reserve driver for both teams, for exactly a scenario like this. So it's in at the deep end, one practice session, in a car I don't think he's driven before, and then qualifying - at one of the toughest tracks. That's F1, you get your chances, one person's misfortune is another's fortune. But I'm sure he'll be fine."

Liam Lawson will race in the 2023 F1 Japanese GP next week, following which AlphaTauri and Red Bull will assess the situation with Daniel Ricciardo.