05 October 2023 , 17:40
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Liam Lawson learned he would be racing at the Qatar Grand Prix in a surprise video call from Daniel Ricciardo.
The New Zealander has filled in for his Aussie colleague for the last four races. Ricciardo has been recovering from surgery to fix a broken bone in his left hand, sustained in a crash during practice ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix at the end of August.
The 34-year-old had targeted the Qatar race as a potential return date. He took part in a simulator session on Monday and, though he is said to have performed well, Red Bull are keen to take no risks with his recovery.
So Ricciardo will again watch on from the sidelines and plans to return to action at the United States Grand Prix instead. That means Lawson gets another go behind the wheel for AlphaTauri to add to his impressive displays to date.
The 21-year-old didn't get much notice. Asked when he found out he would be racing again, he told reporters he had learned the news from Ricciardo himself after being caught off guard by a call from the Aussie.
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"On Monday, so I was sitting at lunch and I had a random number call me and it was a FaceTime," he said. "I was really confused because people don't just FaceTime randomly, so I answered it and it was just Daniel's face.
"And he basically said that he thought he would let me have another weekend. Obviously it's good to be back and good to be in the car this weekend. It's a very different circuit, but I'm excited."
Fortunately, Lawson went on to say his preparations had not been affected by the uncertainty. He said: "After Japan I guess it was looking more likely that we'd be driving so we just carried on preparing like normal. I didn't assume I was driving but we just prepped like like a normal situation like I would be. Obviously, I want to be here full time but just trying to make the most of this.
Asked if Ricciardo's plan was to return in Austin later this month, Lawson added: "I think that's definitely the target. I would say it's more likely that he would be back in Austin, but obviously I can't say for certain. Obviously, we have over a week to to give more time to be ready for it. So I would say it's probably Austin."
At around the same time as the press conference, Ricciardo took to social media to provide fans with an update of his own. He wrote: "Another day on the sim. Getting closer. See y'all in Austin."