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Liam Lawson has confessed that he felt his F1 dream was slipping away before being called up to replace Daniel Ricciardo at the Dutch Grand Prix.
Lawson proved to be a super-sub for Scuderia AlphaTauri in place of the injured Australian in what was a five-race stint in F1.
The New Zealander had worked as reserve driver for both Red Bull and Scuderia AlphaTauri throughout the year on top of a Super Formula campaign.
However, with Ricciardo getting the nod to replace Nyck de Vries over him, it looked as though Lawson’s future lay outside Formula 1.
That was until his last-minute call-up which saw him reach the flag in horrendous conditions in the Dutch Grand Prix.
Ironically that opportunity came after being overlooked for the driver when de Vries was ousted, a move he supported when speaking with Speedcafe in August.
He’s remained in the car since with his stint headlined by a points-scoring finish in Singapore, but is due to hand the keys back to Ricciardo this weekend.
Lawson’s results, however, have catapulted the 22-year-old into contention for an F1 berth in 2025 with many observers adamant he should be on the grid next season.
Scuderia AlphaTauri opted to retain Yuki Tsunoda and Ricciardo for next year, leaving the Kiwi sidelined once more though with some suggestions his future is already secure.
“There’s always so much talk,” Lawson told SEN.
“No matter how much, no matter how positive or what people are saying, for me, until I have a contract in my hand that I’m a driver, then I think I’ll be satisfied.
“But right now, I don’t have that.
“For me, I just have to look at it in a way that, you know, two months ago I was definitely not being heavily considered for Formula 1 and almost, to be honest, I felt like it was starting to slip away a little bit.
“I think now, with this opportunity, that’s really helped that and at least maybe there’s an opportunity in future.
“But honestly, right now, nothing is confirmed for me. It’s going into next year as reserve and, at the moment, that’s all it is.”
Lawson will be on hand in the United States this weekend as Ricciardo makes his return from injury.
There, he’ll once again take a watching brief in his official role as reserve driver.
Following the Circuit of The Americas event, he’ll jet back to Japan for the final weekend of Super Formula action – a double-header event at Suzuka.
“I hope I can take some things from F1,” Lawson said of the Super Formula finale, where Lawson could win the championship.
“Obviously driving Suzuka recently was good but these guys I’m racing in Japan, it’s their backyard. They’ve raced there since they were very, very young.
“It’s going to be pretty tough, I’m sure.
“Something that was pretty clear was, even though I’d driven a Formula 1 car in previous years, jumping into Zandvoort meant…
“Obviously, the situation was extremely difficult with the conditions and the track layout, but it was a massive… it was more of an adjustment than I remembered.
“So I’m expecting quite a big adjustment going back to the Super Formula car.
“It’s something that has been quite strange because, for the last few months, my whole life has been Formula 1 and revolved around it.
“This week is the first time it’s been back to, you know, we’ve got another championship to try and fight for in literally two weeks’ time, so it’s all focused on that.,
“That’s going to be, I’m sure, extremely tough.”
