AlphaTauri chief executive Peter Bayer said Liam Lawson had been called “truly incredible” by multiple F1 champion Gerhard Berger and Red Bull senior adviser Helmut Marko, also a big fan while driving for a seat in 2025.
A member of the Red Bull Junior Team since 2019, Lawson strengthened his ties with Red Bull’s F1 teams by becoming a control and reserve driver for AlphaTauri and Red Bull Racing in 2022.
He continued to serve as a reserve driver in 2023, placing himself firmly on the radar by joining the AlphaTauri roster for a five-race stint in place of the injured Daniel Ricciardo, getting into trouble in Singapore with his P9 result.
Lawson is believed to have a good chance of joining the grid full-time in F1 2025, as Red Bull driver programme boss Marko has set the ultimate target for this year, and it turns out he is the only Austrian to put a very high price tag on Lawson.
The year before taking over his reserve and Red Bull/AlphaTauri position, Lawson had struggled and lost the DTM name in highly debatable circumstances, with the series boss at the time being Marko’s close friend Berger.
And now, speaking to Speedcafe.com, AlphaTauri CEO Peter Bayer has revealed that Berger had joined Marko in waxing lyrical about the young New Zealander, who remains Red Bull and AlphaTauri reserve driver for F1 2024.
“For me, the biggest boost came from Gerhard, who said that when Liam was in the DTM, he was amazing,” Bayer said.
“Gerhard is a big fan of Liam’s racing style. He said, “It’s him. ” He’s going through the hole and he’s fast. “
“Helmut was also very convinced thanks to his herbal speed, but Franz [Tost, former AlphaTauri team principal] was a bit sceptical at first. He said, “Looking at their results, I’m not sure. “
“If you just look at the results, he wouldn’t be an extraordinary driver, but he’s done a lot of races and in other categories, and time and time again there seems to be a spark. Helmut 100 percent: “He’s the guy. “
“Franz, Christian [Red Bull team principal Horner] and I had a long conversation, and that’s how Liam was given the reserve spot.
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Lawson’s start at AlphaTauri came after Ricciardo crashed in practice for the Dutch Grand Prix, fracturing his hand when Lawson later got behind the wheel of the AT04 over a five-race period.
But, despite the excessive pressure on Lawson, a driver who knows he “has to keep his promise” at one time in F1, Bayer was inspired by the way Lawson tilted the move so well to go from a nervous pack in the garage to an impressive competitor on the track.
“Liam said that in Zandvoort he was so f***ing nervous,” Bayer stated. “He said he was like this in the car [shaky hands], but then once he got going, he was alright.
“He’s a racing driver, when the transfer drops and you turn that emotion into performance.
“That’s where you see the difference with others, and that’s what he’s surely capable of. You put it in the car, it’s the switch and it’s gone. “
Lawson knows a smooth opportunity can emerge for 2025 as Sergio Perez faces a critical year in his war over a contract extension with Red Bull as Ricciardo lurks in the background.
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