Lawson rules out possible Williams loan switch for 2024

Red Bull have decided to keep Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda at AlphaTauri for 2024, meaning Lawson is set for a year on the sidelines.

Despite his impressive stand-in performances, Lawson will act as a reserve driver for next season.

Williams haven’t decided who their second driver will be alongside Alex Albon as Logan Sargeant continues to struggle for form.

Red Bull’s Christian Horner has already admitted that it’s “unlikely” Lawson could join Williams on loan, while James Vowles was coy on the idea when asked during the Japanese Grand Prix.

Speaking during the Japanese GP weekend, Lawson made it clear that he’s “a Red Bull driver” and “all the Red Bull seats are filled”.

“I’m a Red Bull driver,” he said. “All the Red Bull seats are filled and unfortunately for me that means that, for now, I’ll be reserve driver.”

Lawson’s main goal is still to be an F1 driver, with a full-time seat in 2025 in his sights.

“I’ve got my head down at the moment trying to make the most of these races,” he said. Ultimately obviously my goal is to be in F1 so I’ll try and do what I can to achieve that in the future. One of the positives about being a Red Bull driver is, for me having five years in this programme, it’s a high-pressure programme.

“We’re put under pressure from day one, and I’m now used to that. It’s been five years of that, so situations like this, I’m almost… I’m ready for them.”