Horner: No guarantee Liam Lawson will have F1 seat

Red Bull team are unsure if they will offer Liam Lawson an F1 seat, says Christian Horner.

Around eight months ago, Liam Lawson emerged onto the F1 stage in highly impressive fashion. He was thrown into the deep end during the Dutch GP, filling in for the injured Daniel Ricciardo. With only a few rounds to adapt and showcase his abilities, Lawson demonstrated his calibre almost immediately.

Whilst the faster driver at the Faenza team was still Yuki Tsunoda, the Kiwi showed tremendous pace in a very short period of time. Therefore, he is seen as someone with a near-guaranteed future in F1.

Indeed, it was reported last year that Lawson’s contract with Red Bull gives him the option to leave the Austrian set-up if he is not offered a 2025 contract. On paper, this can be interpreted as a strong indication that Christian Horner’s team will work to offer him a seat. After all, losing a driver of his talents is surely not the objective at Milton Keynes.

However, perhaps this assumption is flawed. Lawson already showed his talents last year, and Red Bull still opted against giving him a full-time seat. Moreover, with Sergio Perez performing well, Lawson’s arrival would require either Tsunoda or Ricciardo to lose out.

For well over a season, Yuki Tsunoda has been performing at a high level. Against a variety of teammates, the Japanese driver continues to hold his own. This is currently evidenced by his results in 2024, scoring 7/7 of RB’s total so this season.

Daniel Ricciardo, meanwhile, is starting to show flashes of promise. Both in Japan and China, Ricciardo made a notable step forward in his performance. Red Bull’s affinity for the Australian is well-established, so it is not beyond the question that – despite his age – he spends another year at Faenza.

With this in mind, Lawson’s entry into F1 – whilst logical – faces obstacles.

Nothing set in stone for Liam Lawson

When speaking to the media in Shanghai, Christian Horner outlined there are no certainties for Lawson:

“Now, obviously, waiting in the wings is a driver with the talent of Liam Lawson – who naturally is champing at the bit to get an opportunity.

“But there’s nothing pre-set or preordained as to when or even if that would take place.

“The priority is for sure for the drivers that are in the race seats at the moment, and we’ll see how that pans out.”

These comments could be a largely performative exercise – intended to protect RB’s current duo. Although Red Bull is known for making aggressive driver decisions, perhaps Horner is trying to create a more forgiving environment for Tsunoda and Ricciardo.

What seems clear, however, is that Lawson’s path to F1 is trickier than anticipated. The consensus that the 22-year-old would be on the grid next season, for now, is being directly undermined.