Daniel Ricciardo, Yuki Tsunoda staying at AlphaTauri for F1 2024 as Liam Lawson misses out on race seat

AlphaTauri finally confirm both their drivers for F1 2024, with Daniel Ricciardo staying alongside Yuki Tsunoda; Liam Lawson misses out on race seat; watch the Japanese GP on Sky Sports F1 this weekend, with Saturday qualifying at 7am and Sunday’s race at 6am

Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda will continue to drive for AlphaTauri next season.

Liam Lawson, who has impressively filled in for the injured Ricciardo at the last four grands prix, will be reserve and simulator driver for both of Red Bull’s F1 teams.

AlphaTauri announced the news ahead of Sunday’s Japanese GP, Tsunoda’s home race, and means there is just one seat left up for grabs on the 2024 F1 grid, at Williams.

Tsunoda will continue at the team into a fourth season, while Ricciardo will have a full season back on the grid as he bids to achieve what he already acknowledged as his “dream” of moving back to the senior Red Bull team in 2025.

Ricciardo returned to AlphaTauri at the Hungarian GP after Dutchman Nyck de Vries was axed just 10 races into his rookie season.

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Alpha Tauri’s chief race engineer Jonathan Eddolls says Daniel Ricciardo’s recovery is going well and there’s no rush on his return.

But the Australian broke his hand during a crash in practice at the Dutch GP from which he is still recovering from and won’t return until at least the Qatar GP in two weeks’ time.

The following race after that is in the United States on October 22 and, speaking at Suzuka on Friday, AlphaTauri engineer Jonathan Eddolls said that “we are still talking a while away” in terms of when Ricciardo returns.

Red Bull junior Lawson has put in three impressive drives in Ricciardo’s absence, securing his first points in F1 with a ninth-place finish at last week’s Singapore GP – AlphaTauri’s best result of the season.

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Sporting hero? Favourite food? Dream teammate? Liam Lawson answers all in this quickfire quiz with Rachel Brookes.

Tsunoda currently sits 17th in the Drivers’ Championship with three points from three 10th-place finishes this season.

The Japanese driver has failed to complete a racing lap in the last two Grands Prix after pulling over to the side on the formation lap of the Italian GP and then retiring on the opening lap of the Singapore GP after contact with Red Bull’s Sergio Perez.

AlphaTauri are bottom of the Constructors’ Championship with five points with seven rounds of the 2023 season remaining. They are five points behind ninth-placed Alfa Romeo and seven points behind eighth-placed Haas.

The team will have a new name next season and work more closely with reigning world champions Red Bull.

Laurent Mekies, formerly Ferrari’s sporting director, will become AlphaTauri’s team principal next year.

The only other opening remaining on the grid for 2024 is at Williams where Alex Albon’s team-mate has yet to be confirmed.

More to follow…