08 October 2023 , 16:54
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David Dicker is worried Liam Lawson may get "screwed" after Red Bull decided against handing him a 2024 Formula 1 race seat.
The New Zealand racer has been filling in for Daniel Ricciardo since he suffered a broken hand in August. But this weekend's Qatar Grand Prix is expected to be Lawson's last in his temporary role with the Aussie close to full fitness.
Lawson has been excellent in his short-notice F1 debut stint. He performed well in the Netherlands and at Monza before securing AlphaTauri's best result of the season so far at the Singapore Grand Prix.
But it wasn't enough for him to secure a 2024 race seat. Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda were confirmed for another year with AlphaTauri, meaning Lawson will remain a reserve driver for both Red Bull teams for another year.
Rodin Cars has been one of Lawson's main sponsors for several years, while the racer has also been a member of the Red Bull driver academy. Rodin CEO Dicker, who told he has "put more money into Lawson's career than Red Bull", thinks the New Zealander was hard done-by.
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"He's done really well and, to be honest, he's done better than I thought he might do because it's so difficult just being pitched in there like that," Dicker said. "I've been supporting the guys for five years and put a ton of money into his career
"I basically saved it two or three years ago because they just didn't have the money to carry on, and I bridged the gap to keep him in F3 and F2. He's done well and he's definitely worth a seat. If he's not driving in F1 next year then it just doesn't reflect well on F1, looking at the quality of his results."
Lawson will be in consideration for a 2025 race seat, having left Red Bull chiefs very impressed with his performances. But Dicker worries that there is plenty of time between now and when that decision is made for the situation to change.
He added: "The more time you spend in that situation, the more chance you've got of some other thing coming up and you get screwed. What if, say, Carlos Sainz or Charles Leclerc becomes available to Red Bull in lieu of [Sergio] Perez? They're gonna put him in there straight away, aren't they?"
Christian Horner said Lawson has "done exactly what the team asked for" when he stepped in for Ricciardo. "That's turned some heads and it's done him a lot of good. We'll keep developing him when he goes back into that test and reserve role and he'll be a candidate, certainly, for 2025," he added.