The inconsistent performances of rookie Nyck de Vries led to AlphaTauri calling Ricciardo up into the team after the British GP, but he was only able to race twice before sustaining his injury.
Lawson then became Yuki Tsunoda's third team-mate of the season, and has largely outperformed the Japanese driver in the five races in which he competed in.
He boasts almost half of the team's total points tally for the season, and would have been disappointed when AlphaTauri announced they would be seating Tsunoda and Ricciardo together for 2024.
Nonetheless, Ricciardo now has an opportunity to show what he can do for the rest of 2023 and 2024, hoping to prove to Red Bull that he has what it takes to make a stunning return to the team in 2025, partnering Max Verstappen once again.