Liam Lawson: “For now, I am taking one race at a time.”
Called up hastily following Daniel Ricciardo's injury, the New Zealand driver looked back on his recent debut in Formula 1 with AlphaTauri in an interview.

Liam Lawson stepped in at short notice to replace Daniel Ricciardo behind the wheel of the AlphaTauri two weeks ago at Zandvoort after the Australian’s injury during the second free practice session. The young reserve driver has therefore competed in two Grand Prix races, in the Netherlands and in Italy, and could even see his temporary role extended a little longer.
In an interview with PlanetF1, the 21-year-old New Zealander spoke about his arrival in F1 and the prospect of a race seat. “« I think that every time you drive in Formula 1, it’s a job interview for a full-time position,” Lawson summarizes. “« Every time you find yourself in this situation, you only have one try, and you can’t start over. So, every time you get into a Formula 1 car, it’s considered a job interview.” »
« All my life so far, it’s been Formula 1 or nothing »
Member of the Red Bull Junior Team since 2019 and Red Bull reserve driver since 2022, the native of Hastings can aspire to a seat at AlphaTauri next season. In Zandvoort, for his debut in challenging conditions, he started from last place.
For Liam Lawson, the weather conditions were the biggest challenge for him as a beginner. Being on wet, but in mixed conditions made things even more difficult. To learn how to drive a Formula 1 car, one must be very confident in what they are doing because of the speed of the car. Not satisfied with his qualifying, the Super Formula driver still managed to secure a thirteenth place finish.
After another positive weekend in Monza (twelfth at the start, twelfth at the finish), Lawson will continue to drive the AT04 and try to convince his leaders to make him a permanent driver, but for now, nothing is certain. “« For the moment, I am taking one race at a time. […] For my entire life so far, it has been F1 or nothing. That is still the goal, but as for what comes next, I have no idea. »,” said Red Bull’s protégé.