Motorsport: Liam Lawson keeping eye on Formula 1 driver market as Formula 2 season reaches business end

Liam Lawson drove for Formula 1 team AlphaTauri in a practice session last weekend. Photo / Getty Images

Kiwi Formula 2 driver Liam Lawson is unsure of what 2023 holds for him and is watching with interest as the Formula 1 paddock is slowly sorted out for next season.

The 20-year-old has been one of a list of names linked to a potential opportunity in Formula 1 next year, with seats still available with Alpine, Alfa Romeo, AlphaTauri, Williams and Haas.

The Red Bull junior got his first race week opportunity to drive a Formula 1 car in Belgium last week, with a solid drive in a rain-shortened practice session for AlphaTauri, Red Bull's sister team, in place of Pierre Gasly.

AlphaTauri are of particular interest to fans and pundits, as Gasly's position shapes as one that could impact the vacant seats around the paddock. Gasly is signed with the team until the end of the 2023 season, but has buy-out options in his contract should another team come knocking.

He has been heavily linked with a move to Alpine for next year, after young Australian Oscar Piastri knocked the French team back in favour of joining McLaren in place of his countryman Daniel Ricciardo.

There are plenty of moving parts in the Formula 1 driver market, but should Gasly drive for a different team in 2023, AlphaTauri will find themselves having two seats to fill as they are yet to re-sign Yuki Tsunoda beyond the 2022 season, though it is expected the young Japanese driver will be retained.

Lawson, the highest ranked Red Bull junior in Formula 2 so far this season and the reserve driver for both the AlphaTauri and Red Bull Formula 1 teams, has found himself among several drivers linked to a vacant AlphaTauri seat should one materialise.

In an interview with Formula 2 on Instagram, Lawson said he was unsure of where he was going to be in 2023 but had no developments yet.

"I am watching with interest just as much as you guys are," Lawson said. "I will only find out what's important to me I guess when it's needed to know. Right now, all I need to know is to focus on Formula 2."

Lawson has been doing plenty of work with the Red Bull and AlphaTauri Formula 1 teams this season, and said it had been a vital time of learning should he get any more opportunities to get behind the wheel at F1 level.

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"Formula 1 is so advanced that until you actually start getting experience and being involved, it's impossible to really learn all the step ups there are."

Other drivers linked to the AlphaTauri seat include American IndyCar driver Colton Herta and Haas driver Mick Schumacher. Herta is contracted with McLaren and would need to be bought out of that contract to join AlphaTauri, while he is also without the required license to allow him to drive Formula 1 in 2023. However, with three races in the United States (Miami, Texas and Las Vegas) on the calendar for 2023, a push for an American on the grid would make sense.

But while the racing world waits with eager eyes for the chips to start falling, Lawson's focus remained on ending the Formula 2 season in fine form.

With just three events left on the calendar, Lawson sits fifth in the standings and, while the championship is likely beyond his reach, a top-three finish is still a realistic goal.

Despite luck not going his way, Lawson has had speed all season and has been a constant presence in the points. Last weekend in Belgium, he won the sprint race and finished third in the feature race and was hoping this weekend's event in the Netherlands was equally fruitful.

"I was asked this question quite a bit over the weekend, around if this is the turning point of the season. But I think we've always been at that level. This whole season has been very good, so it was nice to have everything go right for us and have a smooth weekend.

"Now three rounds left, it would be ideal to finish off strong and have a nice last three rounds."