"That alone was enough for me to outline his potential" - F1 pundit picks Red Bull junior as a surprise top 10 driver this season

F1 pundit Karun Chandhok feels that Red Bull junior driver Liam Lawson's performance at the Singapore GP qualifying session was 'enough to outline his potential'.

The Kiwi driver was thrown into the AlphaTauri seat after Daniel Ricciardo had an accident in the free practice session in Zandvoort. In his third outing in Singapore before the qualifying session, Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko informed Lawson that he won't be driving for the team in 2024.

While appearing on the Sky Sports F1 podcast, Karun Chandhok pointed out that despite being informed of the news, Liam Lawson's ability to put the car inside the top 10 was a marker for him to be a surprise candidate as a top ten driver of the season in his list.

He said:

"Being told just before qualifying in Singapore that, 'Sorry sunshine, whatever you do for the rest of the year doesn't matter, you're not getting the drive next year.'"

"I mean he literally got told that minutes before getting into the car for one of the most difficult qualifying laps of the season and he got into Q3 and unqualified Yuki. To me, that alone was enough for me to outline his potential."

Red Bull Junior driver spills the bean on his plans for the 2024 season

Liam Lawson stated that he will focus on being the reserved driver for Red Bull in the 2024 season as there is no point in going back into other championships where he has already raced.

Speaking on the Beyond The Grid podcast, Lawson said:

"Because I've raced in most championships and I've even been in F1, I can't really go and do F2 again. There'd be no point. I can't do Super Formula again. I could but there's less benefit from doing it. So I think it's full focus on being a reserve."

Lawson continued:

"That means a lot of simulators, which for me, I think is what helped me get into Formula 1 and adjust to it so quickly. I've been two years now nearly as a reserve so I've done lots of simulator work over the last couple of years and that will just continue now into next year, and getting to learn and basically absorb being alongside the best team in Formula 1 right now."

It will be fascinating to see if Liam Lawson finds himself in contention for a Red Bull seat in the coming years if he gets a drive with the junior team in 2025.