Liam Lawson “loan” option explained - and why it’s “unappealing”

Lawson has impressed as a replacement for the injured Daniel Ricciardo for Red Bull’s sister 🅷team AlphaTauri this season.
He will compete in his fifth consecutive grand prix next weekend in Qatar and his performances have caught🔯 the eye.
Although Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda will retain the AlphaTauri seat✅s in 2024, Red Bull do not want to let Lawson out of their 🌳grasp.
“Red Bull are keen to keep hold of Lawson,” Lawrence 🅘Barretto reported on .
“It is possi🌠ble they could loan him out for a year, should Williams want him to replace Logan Sargeant.
“The two tea𝕴ms have collaborated before, with Alex Albon joining the British outfit, havin☂g been under contract at Red Bull as reserve.
“However, any such deal for Lawson would almost certainly only be for a year, with Red Bull understood to be very keen to have Lawson racing one of their four cars in 2025 – and that is likely to be unappealing💃 to Williams.”
Williams would n🌸ot want to find thems𒆙elves without a driver in 2025 when Red Bull would recall Lawson.
This could be good news for Sargeant, ꦐthe only driver on the 2023 grid whose place for ღnext season is still at risk.
But it would mean 🐬that the highly impressive Lawson would have to settle for another year outside a full-time F1 drive.
Ricciardo’s comeback - tentatively teed up for later this month in the USA - will end💎 Lawson’s temporary stay in the AlphaTauri seat.
But 2025 could finally be his year - with even a Red Bull drive, alongside Max Verstappen, a theoretic p📖ossibility according to this report.

James was a sports journalist at ꧋Sky Sports for a decade covering everything from American sports, to football, t🌜o F1.