Lawson ‘statement’ overshadowed in pursuit of Red Bull F1 seat

RB team principal Laurent Mekies has praised Liam Lawson for the impressive way he has re-acclimatised to life racing in F1.

The 22-year-old put on a strong display at the United States Grand Prix, scoring points on his return despite not racing for a year and starting from the back of the field after a power unit change penalty.

Unlike last season, when the New Zealander was jettisoned in to replace the injured Daniel Ricciardo for five rounds, Lawson has assumed the Australian’s RB seat for at least the rest of the 2024 campaign on performance grounds.

With an RB drive, at the least, all but guaranteed for next year, his six-round run to end the season is tantamount to an audition to partner Max Verstappen at Red Bull in 2025, in place of Sergio Perez.

Things have started well for Lawson, particularly given the difficult weekends endured by team-mate Yuki Tsunoda and Perez.

Mekies feels that Lawson’s performance in qualifying alone was enough to send a “statement”, with the two-time points finisher going third-fastest in Q1 having only had an hour of practice to get back into the swing of F1.

“It was a mega impressive weekend,” Mekies told Autosport whilst reflecting on Lawson’s ninth-place finish at the Circuit of the Americas. “We are very, very happy for him, because you don’t get there by luck, you don’t get there also just with talent.

“You think back to the full year that he has been doing in the engineering office, watching the onboards, watching the data, the hours in the simulator, the very little occasions to actually run the car. And you have to give him credit for the amount of hours he has put in it with little return.

“He was certainly 100% ready to jump in the car, so well done. It was already a mega statement in Q1, we thought that could be the statement of the weekend.

“But then a faultless race, the right pace. There is not much more you can ask, honestly. It’s just about the perfect start.”

Lawson’s approach is ‘refreshing’

Prior to his points-scoring drive during the grand prix itself, Lawson garnered attention during the sprint, particularly from Fernando Alonso, who was unhappy with the RB driver’s robust defensive tactics.

In a moment that was caught on camera, the Spaniard addressed Lawson directly in the paddock after the race to voice his displeasure to the 22-year-old, who gave it back to the two-time F1 drivers’ champion.

However, Lawson’s behaviour displayed exactly the kind of grit and determination Mekies wants from his drivers.

“I think also that was refreshing, he was already not overthinking things and just defending his positions in the right way – that’s what you want to see with this sort of guy,” Mekies said about the incident.

“Not only has he not been driving in a race in a year, but also he has never been driving here in Austin.”

If Lawson can continue his good form over the remaining five rounds of the season, he will have likely proven Tsunoda’s toughest team-mate since Pierre Gasly departed for Alpine at the start of 2023.

Whilst the Japanese driver has seldom been considered for a promotion to Red Bull himself, despite comprehensively beating both Nyck de Vries and Ricciardo, the 24-year-old is now believed to be in the conversation.

To Mekies, the new environment at RB can help Tsunoda elevate his game, something that could prove decisive in the fight for the second Red Bull seat.

“It is absolutely an opportunity for him to reach another level,” Mekies explained. “Again, it’s exactly what we want, two team-mates that push each other, and one is going faster in this corner, one goes faster in this other corner, and they both are able to put in very consistent laps.”