Meet Liam Lawson, Daniel Ricciardo’s replacement at AlphaTauri for the Dutch GP

Sports can be cruel.

Consider the case of former New England Patriots quarterback Drew Bledsoe. Once drafted first-overall by the Patriots, he led the team to an appearance in Super Bowl XXXI and signed a then-record ten-year, $103 million contract ahead of the 2001 campaign. It was expected that Bledsoe would play his entire career in New England, but in the second game of that 2001 season a hit near the end of a game against the New York Jets sent him to the sideline. The Patriots sent their young backup quarterback onto the field.

Tom Brady.

The rest, of course, is football history. Brady took over as the team’s quarterback and other than a cameo appearance in the AFC Championship game, Bledsoe was relegated to the bench. He would be traded at the end of the season, and Brady would go on to become one of the game’s greatest quarterbacks.

When the door of opportunity closes for one athlete, it usually opens for another.

That is the cruel fate that befell Daniel Ricciardo on Friday, ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix. The Formula 1 driver, having just recently returned to a full-time spot with AlphaTauri, suffered a broken bone in his left hand following a crash in practice. Instead of driving in the race Sunday, Ricciardo will be watching.

As one of the exciting young drivers in Red Bull’s driver academy takes his place.

That driver? Liam Lawson, who has long been rumored for a spot at either AlphaTauri, or Red Bull itself. When rumors began to swirl about the fate of Nyck de Vries at AlphaTauri, Lawson’s name was one that came up most often.

Lawson joined Red Bull’s driver academy in early 2019, but by that point he was already an accomplished driver, having competed in various levels and claimed a few titles along the way. During the 2016 season Lawson competed in the NZ F1600 Championship Series, winning 14 of the 15 races to not only claim the Drivers’ Championship, but become the youngest-ever Ford Formula champion.

He joined the Toyota Racing Series for 2019, and claimed the Drivers’ Championship that very same year.

Lawson worked his way to F2 for the 2021 and 2022 seasons, finishing ninth during the 2021 campaign, and third during the 2022 season. This year he has been driving in Super Formula in Japan, and has won three of the seven races this season. He currently sits in second place in the Drivers’ standings, behind Ritomo Miyata. Lawson is also serving as a reserve driver for both Red Bull and AlphaTauri this year.

Speaking of F1 experience, Lawson has enjoyed a small amount of experience behind the wheel of an F1 car. His first taste came at the 2021 Goodwood Festival of Speed. where he got behind the wheel of the 2011 Red Bull RB7. He has also driven in a two practice sessions, both of which came last season. His time in FP1 at the 2022 Mexican Grand Prix, however, was cut short due to a brake failure.

Lawson also drove for a test session at the end of the 2021 season for AlphaTauri.

When rumors regarding Lawson potentially replacing De Vries arose earlier this season, Red Bull decided it would be best for his development to keep him in Super Formula. ”We were in contact with Liam,” Red Bull advisor Dr. Helmut Marko told Austrian newspaper Kleine Zeitung at the start of August. “He will act as a reserve driver for both teams for the rest of the season and will complete the young driver test. So the development program is continuing and it would certainly have been wrong to tear him out of the championship.”

With Ricciardo’s injury, however, the calculus changed.

Now Lawson has a chance to show what he can do behind the wheel of an F1 car when it counts.

Perhaps writing another chapter in sports cruelty in the process.