Liam Lawson has hit the ground running in Formula 1 this season since replacing Daniel Ricciardo at Visa Cash App RB after the Singapore Grand Prix. The tense situation surrounding Ricciardo’s departure from F1 didn’t distract Lawson as he scored points in the United States Grand Prix, his first race in a year. The New Zealander finished in ninth place at the Circuit of The Americas in a very impressive drive for RB, despite starting at the back of the field after an engine penalty.
Lawson had a more difficult weekend at the Mexico City Grand Prix, slumping to 16th place at the chequered flag after battling with Sergio Perez and Franco Colapinto. Lawson is putting pressure on Perez to take his seat at Red Bull next year, as the Mexican is struggling and consistently underperforming. Despite tough duels on the circuit with the Williams driver, Lawson told The Red Flags podcast why he is pleased to see Colapinto racing in Formula 1.
Liam Lawson is happy Franco Colapinto is getting a chance in F1 as Williams ‘trusted their junior’Photo by Manuel Velasquez/Getty Images for HeinekenIn recent times, a lot of junior drivers have been getting opportunities to compete in Formula 1 and race at the highest level. Lawson began this trend last season when he stepped in at AlphaTauri for five races, replacing the injured Ricciardo. He performed well and scored points in Singapore, before being frustratingly left on the sidelines at the start of this season.
READ MORE: What Liam Lawson did when overtaking Sergio Perez that will leave Mexico City Grand Prix fans fumingOther junior drivers such as Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Oliver Bearman are both moving to F1 next year, despite lacklustre Formula 2 campaigns this season. Antonelli will replace Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes after a meteoric rise through the ranks and being fast-tracked into the Mercedes team. Lawson explained he is pleased to see Williams trust their junior academy rather than opting for a more experienced driver.
He said: “I think it’s trusting a junior that’s been a part of your [academy] for me. I’ve been with Red Bull for so long. It was great.
It was cool that they put me… Obviously, it’s great for me to put me in the car. “You have [the same] with Colapinto. He’s a Williams junior.
For them not to go and look [at other drivers], I was pretty stoked. “They didn’t look elsewhere at an experienced guy or even somebody else for another team. They just trusted their junior[and] put them in.
It’s basically them having faith in their junior programme, which is sick. ”Liam Lawson may partner Max Verstappen at Red Bull in 2025Lawson has driven very impressively and been decisive in wheel-to-wheel combat, catching the attention of Fernando Alonso and Perez over the past two races. Partly due to Perez’s lacklustre driving, Red Bull are now third in the Constructor’s Championship as McLaren and Ferrari have improved.
This may put even more pressure on the Mexican driver who hasn’t stood on the podium since the Chinese Grand Prix in April. Lawson might be a good fit for Red Bull as he has shown he can compete effectively and have good race pace. There are also not many other options for the Austrian team this late in the season, which may help Lawson get the drive.
