Lawson details desire to get into F1 machinery in 2024

Liam Lawson is keen to get back behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car at some point in 2024, as he prepares for a year on the sidelines.

Lawson made his F1 debut in the Dutch Grand Prix in 2023, standing in for five races after Daniel Ricciardo broke his hand in a practice crash, returning in the United States.

The Kiwi earned plaudits for his efforts, including a ninth-place finish in Singapore where he banked two points, and also knocked World Champion Max Verstappen out of qualifying in Q2.

Ultimately, Lawson was overlooked for a race seat with what is now Visa Cash App RB for 2024 as the team opted for Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda, but Red Bull Motorsport Advisor Helmut Marko has hinted that Lawson will be set for his full-time debut in 2025.

He is ineligible to partake in any FP1 sessions for either team as a designated rookie driver in the mandatory sessions having started five races, with those drivers with two or fewer Grand Prix starts available.

For the coming year, Lawson will act as reserve driver for both teams, but is keen to drive contemporary F1 machinery at some point throughout the year.

"In terms of what I’ll be driving and when I’ll be driving, that’s still to be set out," Lawson told the New Zealand Herald.

"I’d love to be behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car and we’re all working towards trying to make that happen – whether it’s testing or racing – but right now nothing is confirmed.

"It’s really just a few conversations. We have conversations over the year as the season’s going along, and then at the end, it’s really just pretty brief."

During 2023, as well as deputising for Ricciardo, Lawson also had a Japanese Super Formula programme, winning three of the nine events.

However, a poor weekend at Motegi with a 13th-place finish effectively ended his title hopes with Ritomo Miyata claiming the crown by eight points in the Suzuka finale.

As part of his reflections on the year, Lawson believes there were aspects that let him down.

"I think we all recognised that [winning Super Formula] was achievable and that the speed was there, but obviously to win a championship, you need more than that.

"There are things that I did over the season as well that I reflect on that I will probably regret, let’s say, in that championship moment that cost a lot of points, but it’s part of the process."