Liam Lawson delivered an impressive performance at Austin. He achieved a points finish at his very first race back in the sport and managed to beat his teammate, Yuki Tsunoda as well.
The United States GP was Liam Lawson’s first race of the 2024 season. When he joined the team mid-season, his target was quite clear. His performance will be directly compared to Tsunoda’s. The better driver will have a shot at the Red Bull seat for the 2025 season.
Liam Lawson delivers impressive performance under pressure
Coming to the United States GP, Lawson was already on the back foot as he had to take a 60-place grid penalty for changing power unit components over the specified limit. But this did not stop him from a points finish.
By starting the race on the hards, Lawson was able to stay out the longest during the first stint. He drove perfectly as he was able to stay ahead of other drivers with the same strategy. When the time to pit finally came, Lawson had fresh medium tyres while the others were running on old hard tyres.
Liam Lawson equals his best race result with a P9 in Austin on his return to Formula 1!
An incredible drive from the Kiwi 🇳🇿#F1 #USGP pic.twitter.com/KmYmdlkrfh
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) October 20, 2024
After pitting for fresh medium tyres, Lawson was even able to come out ahead of his teammate. Tsunoda was completely shocked that Lawson was ahead. He now has a serious threat within the team.
Lawson was able to use this tyre advantage and get himself into the points. He ended up finishing 9th, equalling his best finish in Formula 1. In doing so, he has not only proven that he deserves to be in F1, but has also proven that he has the potential to be successful for Red Bull Racing as well.
Liam Lawson’s chances for the 2025 Red Bull seat
Throughout the year, there has been doubt regarding who will drive alongside Max Verstappen next year. While Sergio Perez recently signed a contract extension with Red Bull, it doesn’t mean a thing if he is not able to perform.
This season, Red Bull was expecting Perez to be in the top 5 in the Drivers’ Championship. This would have helped them stay in the lead in the Constructors’ Championship as well. But ever since the Miami Grand Prix, Sergio Perez has been unable to compete against McLaren, Ferrari or Mercedes. He now sits 8th in the Championship with Red Bull in 2nd.
There is no doubt that Red Bull needs a change in their lineup in 2025 if they hope to win the Championship.
⚠️ | Helmut Marko says both Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda will compete for the Red Bull seat for 2025:
“I don’t know in how many races he [Lawson] was faster than Yuki, but that’s why we decided that now is the time to make a comparison with Yuki. Who of the two is the fastest?”… pic.twitter.com/OANe0KbBIw
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) October 11, 2024
When Lawson was announced as Daniel Ricciardo’s replacement in the final 6 races, Helmut Marko mentioned that these next 6 races would be a shootout between Tsunoda and Lawson. Although he didn’t directly mention it, he did indicate that the driver to come out on top will be in contention for the Red Bull seat in 2025.
Considering Lawson’s performance in his first race back, we can expect him to be a strong contender for Red Bull in 2025. But for this to happen, Red Bull will first need to pull the plug on Checo. So one step at a time. But in his first race back, Liam Lawson delivered. That is for sure.
Do you think Liam Lawson should be in the Red Bull Racing team for the 2025 season? Post your thoughts in the comments section below.
