Horner: “Lawson behaved like a veteran”

It’s an ideal weekend that opens up great prospects for the future. For his first Formula 1 Grand Prix since the race in Qatar last year, New Zealander Liam Lawson delivered a more than convincing performance in his Racing Bulls and has almost managed to make people forget about Daniel Ricciardo. However, the Austin race was expected to be very difficult for him due to an engine penalty that forced him to start from the back of the grid.

An impressive pace throughout the weekend

Despite everything, the Kiwi driver approached Sunday’s race with a certain confidence, aware that the car is fast on this track. His words turned out to be accurate during qualifying, when he set the third fastest time in Q1. Ultimately eliminated in Q2 without having set a time, but having played the team game to provide a tow for his teammate Yuki Tsunoda, Lawson was happy with the car’s pace but disappointed to start so far back on the grid. The grid penalty is all the more frustrating as the car’s performance and pace were very good in Q1. Obviously, we can only improve from there, that’s the idea, so there were many positive points for the future. Now, we have to try to master the race aspect, the New Zealander had stated. An opinion that materialized this Sunday with his ninth place.

Despite starting nineteenth on the grid, the Hastings native delivered a very strong performance with an impressive pace and consistency throughout the race, allowing him to score two points for Racing Bulls. At the end of the race, Christian Horner had only positive words for him. “I found that he behaved like a veteran. He had an excellent race and can be very satisfied with what he has accomplished. He drove a very good Grand Prix. Starting 19th, finishing in the points, with superb overtakes, so he can be happy about that.” Red Bull’s team principal highlights the maturity of the former Formula 2 driver, who did not rush his overtakes and executed his strategy perfectly, managing to come out ahead of Tsunoda after a late pit stop, thanks to the hard tires he had started the race with.

A challenging weekend nevertheless for Lawson

Despite this excellent result and the numerous tests he was able to carry out behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car this season, the New Zealander admitted to having struggled this weekend, as he had not raced in official conditions for a year. “No matter how much training or preparation you do, nothing prepares you to drive one of these cars,” Lawson told Sky Sports F1. “Honestly, I have worked harder than ever in the past 12 months to be physically ready. But without driving. We also had very limited tests, so it was tough. On Friday, it was a struggle with only one practice session before qualifying. I wanted to finish the weekend feeling comfortable, and I think we managed to do that.”

Results that need to be confirmed

For Lawson, the biggest challenge will be to achieve this kind of performance during the last five races. He is aware that he needs to deliver convincing results to secure his seat at Racing Bulls next year, or even potentially get Sergio Perez’s seat at Red Bull. Nevertheless, the New Zealander prefers to focus on himself and does not want to put too much pressure on himself. “I know they have expectations of me, but ultimately, I also have expectations of myself to do my job well. I want to stay in Formula 1 and have a full-time seat next year, and these races are my key to achieving that. So, from my side, I am taking things weekend after weekend. This weekend was strong. We now need to focus on Mexico.”

« I am well aware of the expectations they have towards me, but ultimately, it has been like this since I was 16 as a junior. They have always put pressure, so honestly, it doesn’t change much.

» As mentioned, the Mexican Grand Prix will be just as crucial for his future. Even though his Grand Prix in Austin was convincing, he will have to achieve a similar feat this week on Mexican soil.