F1: AlphaTauri Looks to Lawson Ahead of Dutch GP
Newest AlphaTauri driver Daniel Ricciardo to veer off path, crashing and breaking his wrist. With Ricciardo sitting out in Zandvoort, Red Bull reserve racer Liam Lawson has gotten the call-up.
After McLaren’s Oscar Piastri lost grip on a turn during Free Practice 2, he lost control of his car and ended up causing some damage in the wall. Luckily, he came out unscathed, with his car feeling the brunt of the bruises.
Daniel Ricciardo, however, was forced off the racing line, leading him to look to soften the blow by going into the wall near Piastri. His hand got jammed, which has been confirmed by Formula One as a broken wrist.
Red Bull chief Dr. Helmut Marko, during the early afternoon of the same day, confirmed that Red Bull and AlphaTauri’s reserve driver Liam Lawson will make his F1 debut in Ricciardo’s absence. Ricciardo is not set to race for the rest of the weekend, meaning Lawson’s first taste of Formula 1 action will be in Saturday’s FP3 and Qualifying sessions.
The 21-year-old has a well-established resume in motorsport. This past year, Lawson has been staying warm in SuperFormula while also being a part of Red Bull’s junior team. In fact, when Nyck de Vries was on his way out, many thought that the Red Bull bosses would give the vacant seat to Lawson to begin with. However, they went with the more experienced Ricciardo, who has driven for Red Bull before both as a reserve and a main driver.
This news is sure to shake up the rest of the weekend in Zandvoort, as both Lawson and new teammate Yuki Tsunoda will look to bring AlphaTauri back to a point-scoring positions.
Other News
Obviously, Danny Ric’s injury is not the only storyline from this race week. Both free practices thus far have shown us that some racers are more ready than others; I look at the McLarens, especially Lando Norris, who had the best time in the second practice. I think Norris is primed for his first-ever victory, although it’s no secret that Mad Max will take home yet another P1 (who is surprised at this point?).
The Ferraris especially struggled ahead of the weekend, but others shined. Tsunoda himself was the fifth-fastest in the second free practice, showing that AlphaTauri is nowhere near a lost cause.
The two Williams cars served Alex Albon and Logan Sargeant especially well today, with Albon being the third-fastest and Sargeant being the twelfth; although not very high, P12 is a huge leap from what Sargeant is used to in his rookie year. The American had fast pace today and seems to be feeling the pressure of losing his spot.
As always, I like to predict what the driver standings will be ahead of a race weekend.
[Note: As I am writing this, it is Friday, August 25, meaning I do not yet know the results of FP3 or Qualifying on Saturday morning.]
[Note 2: I am predicting the outcome of the Grand Prix itself, not the qualifying round.]
P1: Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
P2: Lando Norris (McLaren)
P3: Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
P4: Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
P5: Esteban Ocon (Alpine)
P6: Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
P7: Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
P8: George Russell (Mercedes)
P9: Sergio Perez (Red Bull)
P10: Alex Albon (Williams)
P11: Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
P12: Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri)
P13: Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
P14: Nico Hulkenberg (Haas F1)
P15: Logan Sargeant (Williams)
P16: Liam Lawson (AlphaTauri)
P17: Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
P18: Valterri Bottas (Alfa Romeo)
P19: Kevin Magnussen (Haas F1)
P20: Zhou Guanyu (Alfa Romeo)
Do you agree? Disagree? What do you think of my predictions?