Visa Money App RB CEO Peter Bayer says it is vital that reserve driver Liam Lawson helps to maintain the warmth on the squad’s present common drivers Yuki Tsunoda and Daniel Ricciardo.
Lawson made his System 1 debut final season, sitting in for 5 races when Ricciardo suffered a hand harm throughout observe for the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort.
However when RB introduced its driver line-up for 2024, Lawson was handed over for a full-time position leaving him spinning his wheels on the sidelines and not using a racing programme this 12 months, and pondering his future in F1.
Bayer mentioned that the crew was doing its finest to search out methods of conserving Lawson engaged, who continues his duties as reserve driver for each RB and the senior Purple Bull Racing crew, attending races and dealing within the simulator.
“To begin with, he’s an excellent reserve driver,” Peter Bayer instructed Australian motorsport information web site Speedcafe of Lawson’s present position. “He’s conserving the hearth heat beneath the 2 seats, they’re not getting lazy.
“On the similar time, we do attempt to run him as a lot as we will,” he added, stating that Lawson had been concerned within the crew’s most up-to-date check of a earlier era automotive at Imola.
“We wish to do one other one, so we attempt to give him as a lot observe time as we presumably can afford,” Bayer mentioned. “He’s doing simulator periods and he’s with us. He’s an vital a part of the crew.”
Nonetheless Bayer downplayed ideas that Lawson may exchange Ricciardo at RB as quickly because the Miami Grand Prix if the Australian would not recuperate his kind after struggling within the first three races of the season.
“He’s getting himself prepared and on the similar time, by being prepared and by having proven what he’s able to final 12 months, he retains that pure Purple Bull strain on,” famous Bayer.
“It’s an attention-grabbing scenario as a result of we have now a little bit of strain from the underside and the pull impact from the highest, which clearly I do settle for that it creates a sure strain on the drivers.”
Whereas the Purple Bull driver growth programme is famend for its ruthless method to dropping anybody not seen to be delivering, Bayer insisted that it was simply the identical because the scenario at another System 1 squad.
“I don’t suppose it’s larger than another crew,” he mentioned. “Truly I feel they’re higher off with our crew as a result of there may be extra flexibility. There’s extra alternative than one other crew [where] when you don’t carry out properly, that’s it.”
Lawson is in no way alone ready within the queue for a gap on the F1 grid. Ollie Bearman is hotly tipped to be at Haas subsequent 12 months after his super-sub stint in Jeddah filling in for Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz.
Alpine have Jack Doohan ready within the wings for a seat ought to both Pierre Gasly or Esteban Ocon depart Enstone on the finish of the 12 months, and Mercedes is alleged to be eyeing teenager Andrea Kimi Antonelli to exchange Lewis Hamilton.
Lawson’s personal ladder to F1 has seen him win the 2019 Toyota Racing Collection in New Zealand, and end as runner-up in that 12 months’s Euroformula Open championship, earlier than two seasons in System 3 noticed him clinch three race victories.
The next two seasons in System 2 noticed him emerge with 5 wins, earlier than he moved to Japan to compete within the Tremendous System championship. He received on debut and completed second within the standings regardless of lacking rounds whereas racing in F1.
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