The Giltrap Group sponsored Kiwi was given a Rookie Test seat with AlphaTauri in December last year. In accordance with 2022 Formula One season rules, every team must allocate at least two practice sessions to younger drivers.
While many F1 teams have already announced driver line-ups for 2023, AlphaTauri has yet to make an announcement, leaving the door potentially open for Lawson to drive alongside Pierre Gasly who is on contract with the team until the end of next season.
Red Bull junior Liam Lawson made his F1 debut in the first practice session at the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa.
Lawson, a two-time winner with Carlin in the FIA Formula 2 Championship this season, has been handed an outing with AlphaTauri.
“We plan to run Liam Lawson in FP1 in Spa,” AlphaTauri team boss Franz Tost told media from f1i.com at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
In accordance with this year's sporting, each team must allocate at least two practice sessions to a young driver. Lawson was given a seat with AlphaTauri at the F1 Rookie Test last December.
The 2022 season has been a mixed bag for the Giltrap Group sponsored driver. A podium finish at the season opener in Bahrain has been undercut somewhat by a series of hardware related DNFs, along with mid-field finishes; his third placing at the British Grand Prix as well as two firsts in sprint races at Saudi Arabia and La Castellet remain distinct highlights.
However, the F1 Practice session drive was Lawson’s biggest opportunity to make the move into Formula One to date.
With AlphaTauri yet to define its driver line-up for 2023, the door now appears open for Lawson to make his move into the top echelon of the sport. Pierre Gasly remains committed to AlphaTauri until the end of 2023, but the future of his current teammate Yuki Tsunoda remains unknown.