Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner has praised Liam Lawson for an impressive five Grand Prix cameo while filling in for the injured Daniel Ricciardo.
Horner was asked by media after the Qatar Grand Prix to give his verdict on Lawson’s brief campaign and responded by saying, “I think he’s done a great job, jumping in with zero mileage in the car. He’s acquitted himself well as a grand prix driver, I think he’s caught all our attention in terms of the job he’s done.”
Horner went to double down on this statement, adding he’s sure we’ll see the New Zealander on the grid sooner rather than later.
“It certainly won’t be his last race in F1 with what he’s done in these five races, he’s demonstrated that he deserves an opportunity in the future,” he said.
Lawson started five Grand Prix and a Sprint for AlphaTauri, achieving the team’s best result of 2023 when he finished ninth in Singapore.
He only failed to finish once in his six starts, with his sole DNF coming at the recent Qatar Grand Prix Sprint, where difficult track conditions, tyre safety concerns and car performance hampered the race.
“It seems to be my last race with the team before Daniel comes back, so I want to say a big thank you to the team, and it’s a shame to finish like this,” Lawson said following the Qatar Grand Prix, where he battled for 17th.
The Kiwi was a late call-up to compete in the Dutch Grand Prix in August after Daniel Ricciardo broke his hand in an FP2 incident. Braving wet conditions, he would bring the car home 13th before falling just outside the points at Monza with eleventh.
Lawson’s first points came in Singapore, followed by an eleventh-placed finish in Japan, where he kept teammate Yuki Tsunoda at bay, and last weekend’s race in Qatar.
Despite the strong showings, AlphaTauri confirmed Ricciardo and Tsunoda as their 2024 drivers, with Lawson set for another year on the sidelines as Red Bull’s reserve.
He does, however, lose his rookie classification for completing more than two races, which means he won’t be eligible to run in any FP1 rookie tests next year.
Lawson will travel with the team for next weekend’s United States Grand Prix before returning to Japan for the final round of the 2023 Super Formula Championship at Suzuka. He sits just eight points off the championship lead, with the double-header set to decide the title on October 27-29.
Header Image: Getty Images/ Red Bull Content Pool
