BEHIND THE SCENES: 48 hours in the life of AlphaTauri super-sub Liam Lawson at Zandvoort

When it was revealed Daniel Ricciardo had broken the fifth metacarpal in his left hand during a crash in Friday practice, it triggered a whirlwind 48 hours for AlphaTauri’s reserve Liam Lawson, who got the nod to make his F1 debut as a super-sub for this weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix. Here’s how it played out…
Lawson finds out he got the drive
Lawson was sat in the drivers’ briefing, a session that takes place every Friday after second practice for the Race Director to discuss various topics with the drivers, as part of his role as reserve for both Red Bull and AlphaTauri, when halfway through the meeting he got the call that he would be required to step in for Ricciardo. He joked that he “concentrated a lot harder” on the second half of the meeting after the call...

Unlock exclusive F1 content and more with F1 Unlocked. Totally free.
Membership gets you closer with:
Curated insider content
Live like an F1 insider with exclusive access and VIP experiences
Member benefits, rewards and offers
Next Up
Related Articles
New immersive racing experience F1 Box to open in London
WATCH: The 10 best battles of the 2025 season so far
Ricciardo reveals how he earned ‘Honey Badger’ nickname
UnlockedVerstappen's dramatic first title win as he edged out Hamilton
Lifestyle & CultureWhat the F1 drivers have done during the summer break
Wheatley turning pressure ‘into something positive’ for Audi arrival