Liam Lawson, an AlphaTauri super-sub, has revealed his anticipated 2024 options after losing out on a permanent seat in the Formula One grid.

After Daniel Ricciardo broke his hand in a practice crash, the New Zealander was forced into emergency action back at Zandvoort.

Instead of the Australian, he would go on to compete in five Grands Prix for AlphaTauri.

The 21-year-old received a lot of praise for his performances, especially for his ninth-place points finish in Singapore, and it appeared that AlphaTauri was having a serious problem deciding which driver pairing to use for the upcoming season.

The team decided to stick with Yuki Tsunoda and Daniel Ricciardo instead of Lawson for the permanent seat, but his five-race stint will only have improved his chances moving forward.

Outside of Formula One, Lawson wrapped up his Japanese Super Formula season at the end of October, trailing only Ritoma Miyata in the end but gaining more invaluable experience in the process.

Speaking on the Beyond The Grid podcast, Lawson explained the options that were open to him in 2024, with a firm focus on his role as a reserve for Red Bull and AlphaTauri.

“Because I’ve raced in most championships and I’ve even been in F1, I can’t really go and do F2 again,” he said. “There’d be no point. I can’t do Super Formula again. I could, but there’s less benefit from doing it. It is all about being reserved, in my opinion.

“That means a lot of simulator, which for me, I think is what helped getting into Formula 1 and adjusting to it so quickly.

I have been a reserve for almost two years now, so I have worked a lot in the simulator over the past few years and will continue to do so into the upcoming season. This has allowed me to learn and essentially absorb what it is like to be with the top Formula 1 team at the moment.

I get to sit through all the meetings and learn how they operate.

Lawson has certainly proved he deserves a place in F1 and he has openly acknowledged how frustrating it is that a spot on the grid hasn’t opened up for him on multiple occasions.

In Hungary, Ricciardo took over for the Dutch racer Nyck de Vries, who had previously won the AlphaTauri drive in 2023. In 2024, Tsunoda and Ricciardo will take the lead. But when asked if he could understand Red Bull’s position in their driver selections, the young New Zealander was very reflective.

He said, “I think what is potentially helped through each scenario is, yes, it is really frustrating, but I was able to sit there and understand why this makes sense at the time this decision was made.”

“That goes back to De Vries last year. At that point, we were having a shocking F2 season and we turned it around at the end, but it was all too late. I had a really good end to the season, I had good testing in F1, but by then the decision was made, so that’s frustrating.

“But at the time that the decision was made, I think I could sit there and understand why, just because of how my season was

I think this year as well, although I’m having a much better season, you have the option mid-season in a team that’s struggling quite a bit, you have the option of somebody who’s never been in Formula 1 to jump in mid-season or somebody who’s very experienced in Formula 1 and has won races.

Again, it’s frustrating to take, but I can sit there and make sense of this decision and understand. It’s frustrating to not be driving next year, but I will continue to make the most of still being involved in Formula 1 at least.

“I’m a Red Bull driver. If I ever get a chance in Formula 1, it’ll be through Red Bull Racing. I think it would be Red Bull that give me my shot.