Daniel Ricciardo danger as AlphaTauri decide on Liam Lawson plan after Singapore

18 September 2023 , 15:03

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Liam Lawson has impressed in his temporary F1 role (Image: Getty Images)

AlphaTauri plan to decide their 2024 driver line-up "in the next few days".

Chief executive Peter Bayer gave that timeline when speaking to German-language TV after the Singapore Grand Prix. He was reflecting on an excellent performance from Liam Lawson in just his third Formula 1 race.

The New Zealander has been standing in for Daniel Ricciardo since he broke his hand at Zandvoort last month. The Aussie underwent surgery shortly after and has been on the sidelines as he recovers.

Ricciardo made the trip to Singapore where he took on an engineering role while Lawson continued to race in his stead. And it was a weekend to remember for the 21-year-old as he scored F1 world championship points for the first time.

By finishing ninth, he scored AlphaTauri's best result of the season so far. Yuki Tsunoda has three 10th-placed finishes to his name, while Ricciardo did not score in either of his outings and Nyck de Vries was pointless in 10 appearances before he was axed.

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Lawson's result in Singapore has further strengthened calls for AlphaTauri to give him a race seat for 2024. That would mean either Ricciardo or Tsunoda would loss their places on the grid in a potentially fatal blow to their F1 ambitions.

Ricciardo will return to his seat when he recovers, but that won't be until at least Qatar next month with Lawson reprising his stand-in role again in Japan this weekend. But AlphaTauri might have already made a decision about his F1 future by then

Bayer said: "We are very happy with the performance. Two points and the best result of the season in his third race ever. We're happy with Liam's performance, he fought like a lion."

In a separate interview, he added: "The discussions are in full swing. We see each other every day and try to coordinate. Liam has secured a regular place in the group with this performance and we'll see who will be in the car next year in the next few days."

Bayer also confirmed that Ricciardo "will definitely be back in his car" when he recovers from injury and will, at the very least, complete this season. When that happens, Lawson's focus will switch back to the Japanese Super Formula championship in which he is fighting for the title.

Daniel Moxon