28/08/2024
NEWS STORY
Christian Horner has admitted that Liam Lawson could be loaned to Williams to replace Logan Sargeant for the remainder of the season.
Already to set to lose his seat to Carlos Sainz at season end, the American further blotted his copybook when he crashed in FP3, causing such damage to his car (and upgrades) that he was unable to take part in qualifying.
There has been talk of the American's hopes of finishing the season for some time, and like Sergio Perez, there was speculation over him being dropped over the summer break.
Now, following his latest disaster, and James Vowles aim to take the Grove outfit forward, there is talk of Liam Lawson replacing him, this follows Toto Wolff's denial that Kimi Antonelli might be made available.
"It depends on which terms and, if we needed him back, would we get him back," said Horner when asked if Lawson could be loaned to his Grove rivals. "Certainly, if they needed a driver next weekend, we'd be open to that. But that's a Williams question rather than one for us to answer."
However, Mercedes has Mick Schumacher available, and Vowles is understood to have met with his former boss to discuss the possibility of borrowing the former Haas driver.
"I would very much hope that Mick gets the chance because we haven't seen the real Mick," said Wolff. "You know, winning F4, F3 and F2, and then you are underperforming in F1. I think he deserves a chance.
"The opportunity with Williams is something that we would be cheering for," he added. "But this is James Vowles' decision."
Following Helmut Marko's claim that Lawson will be on the grid in 2025, Horner admitted that this might not be with either of the Red Bull teams, and would likely mean him being loaned out, though currently only Stake has a genuine vacancy, as Mercedes favours Kimi Antonelli and RB Daniel Ricciardo.