F1 News: Liam Lawson Reveals The Unusual Way He Found Out He Would Race In Qatar

Just one call and Liam Lawson will be racing this weekend.

Liam Lawson was in for a surprise when he received a FaceTime call from an unknown number who turned out to be Daniel Ricciardo. The message to the reserve driver was that he'd be racing this weekend in Qatar for AlphaTauri. 

Lawson has been performing his reserve driver duties very well for Ricciardo after the Australian driver crashed into the barriers in the second practice session in Zandvoort, causing an injury to his left hand that had to undergo surgery. 

In the meantime, Lawson had the golden opportunity to showcase his talent in the premier class. He has been making the most of the chance by delivering a top-class performance which brought him under the scanner of many teams. 

Speaking at the pre-race conference in Qatar, Lawson told the press: 

“On Monday I was sitting at lunch, and I had a random number call me, and it was a FaceTime. So I was really confused because people don’t just FaceTime randomly, and it was just Daniel's face.

"He basically said that he thought he would let me have another weekend. Obviously good to be back, good to be in the car this weekend, a very different circuit, but I'm excited.

"To be honest, after Japan, it was looking more likely that we would be driving, so we just carried on preparing as normal.

"I didn't assume as I was driving but we just prepped like a normal situation – like I would be. It's a bit different, obviously I want to be here full time, but I'm just trying to make the most of it.”

When asked if Ricciardo revealed when he would be back in the car, Lawson added:

“I would say it's more likely that he will be back in Austin, but obviously I can’t say for certain.

"But obviously we have over a week to give more time for him to be ready for it. So, I would say it’s probably Austin.”

F1 News: Daniel Ricciardo Confirmed For 2024 AlphaTauri Seat - Liam Lawson Reserve Driver

The Sprint race in Qatar would be his first Sprint in Formula 1. But, it could also be his last Grand Prix of the season. An excited Lawson said:

“I think it's going to be quite tough.

"Obviously my first Sprint weekend, we have less practice time [but] it's the same for everybody.

"Obviously I haven’t been here before, so I think it's going to be different, but I'm excited to at least experience a Sprint weekend before I step back again.”