Red Bull set date for Liam Lawson’s future to be resolved

Austrialian Daniel Ricciardo has the seat which could be the young New Zealander’s in future

(Getty Images)

Rising star Liam Lawson will not be sent out on loan despite uncertainty surrounding his future in Formula 1, says Red Bull director Helmut Marko.

The 22-year-old is rapidly developing his skills on the track, and has expressed an eagerness to graduate from his junior position on the RB Formula 1 team into a full-time seat for Red Bull Racing, where he currently serves as a reserve driver.

However, while the New Zealander has proven his potential by providing some stiff competition for teammate Daniel Ricciardo, it is looking increasingly more likely that Red Bull will pump the breaks on their young driver’s progression.

Lawson stepped in for Ricciardo when the Australian driver suffered a hand injury earlier last season.

This opportunity saw the Kiwi secure a ninth-place points finish in the Singapore Grand Prix, where he looked set to capitalise on his teammate’s misfortune by claiming a full-time seat.

But, despite a slow start to the year, Ricciardo has now made a strong recovery, with Lawson seemingly being sidelined once more.

Red Bull’s Marko, though, has since commented on his driver’s future.

“We will announce what happens next with Liam Lawson in September,” Marko told Speedweek.

“The fact that he was able to gain more Formula 1 kilometres of experience in Imola had been planned for some time. Even if the competition would like to use him on loan, he is not available for that.”

With Lawson looking to move towards a more tangible position on his team, Formula 2 junior Isack Hadjar is set to take his place as the reserve driver for the two Red Bull squads.

“[Hadjar] clearly has the potential for Formula 1,” Marko added. “We’ll see how everything develops, but he will certainly take on a role of some kind. It could be that, like Lawson, he will spend a year as a test and simulator driver.”