Christian Horner has claimed that it would have been 'unfair' to throw star academy driver Liam Lawson into the underperforming AlphaTauri car for the remainder of the 2023 season.
The New Zealander has already completed some test and reserve driver work for both Red Bull and AlphaTauri and is seen as a long-term option for the hierarchy.
With Nyck de Vries losing his drive with AlphaTauri after the British Grand Prix, many expected Lawson to be handed a chance in F1 to prove his worth for the rest of the season, but the opportunity was ultimately given to Daniel Ricciardo.
Lawson responded in style, reminding the Red Bull team bosses of his talent by winning at Fuji in Super Formula, closing the gap to championship leader Ritomo Miyata to just a single point.