Lawson praised as ‘veteran’ after spectacular points-scoring drive

In his first race as a full-time Formula 1 driver, Liam Lawson dominated the field as he charged from P19 to P9, equalling his career-best result as he secured two points in the exciting United States Grand Prix.

Obliged to start this morning’s 56-lap race from the back of the grid due to an accumulated 60-place grid penalty for taking new components beyond the season limit, Lawson’s run to a points finish was anything but a rookie performance, with Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner even hailing the 22-year-old’s race a “veteran” performance.

“I definitely didn’t [expect points], not after where we were starting and also just after yesterday’s Sprint race,” Lawson said.

“I think we struggled a lot, and although we made a big step with the car yesterday, you never know in a race, it’s completely different.

“You never know if it’s going to work out exactly as we planned, so to have a clear step in quali and then in the race with the car is really positive for me.”

Climbing up to the first braking zone, Lawson was forced to avoid his first bout of drama after Alex Albon accidentally tagged Esteban Ocon, sending the Alpine spinning at the first turn.

Unlike some of his distracted competitors, however, the RB driver capitalised on the hold-up, going on to finish the opening lap five positions higher than he started it.

Lawson inherited a place from Lewis Hamilton who spun out of the race on the second lap, his beach Mercedes prompting a Safety Car period that lasted until Lap 6.

When the race picked back up, Lawson’s overtaking prowess remained.

“I felt really comfortable which is the main target this weekend, to get to the end of it and feel confident with the car,” he said.

“It’s always nice when you’re the overtaking car as well which today we were, and I think it was just, yeah, that hard stint at the start that put us in a great position.”

Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner congratulates Liam Lawson in parc ferme after the US Grand Prix. Image: Mark Thompson/Getty Images // Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool.

Having had his fair share of interaction with Aston Martin this weekend, the Kiwi instantly disposed of Lance Stroll through a solid move around the outside of Turn 2.

The following laps were dedicated to closing the gap on his Sprint rival Fernando Alonso, a feat he achieved when battled his way past the two-time world champion on Lap 11.

As the field gradually filed into the pitlane, Lawson opted to over-cut his competitors, managing his tyres well as he extended until Lap 37.

Dropping out of the top ten as he rejoined the race ahead of his frustrated teammate, the Kiwi who started the race on the hard compound tyre now had a significant tyre advantage over the three cars that lay between him and his final finishing position.

Reunited with the #10 Alpine, roles were reversed and it was now Lawson who was attacking Gasly. 

Unlike their earlier encounters, however, the #30 managed to make a move past the Frenchman, utilising the DRS assistance down the back straight to pass Gasly without much resistance.

That overtake boosted Lawson into the points, and with Kevin Magnussen forced to make a second pitstop, the RB driver soon found comfort in an unthreatened P9.

“I think me getting more comfortable and that stint with the guys… I mean the teams worked really hard this weekend and we’ve been quite aggressive with changes that we’ve made, you know, potentially more aggressive than you normally would be.

“But you know, they’ve worked really hard for the last couple of weeks getting me prepared for this – the guys have worked overtime to get me comfortable – and then with the car this weekend as well, it’s just been a big team effort.

“I’m very thankful for all the work they’ve done to get me comfortable in the car and for it to work out like that is always a nice feeling.”

Targeting more points in the next two races of the triple header, Lawson will hope to continue his debut charge down to Mexico when the grid takes to the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez from 5:30 AM, October 26.

Image: Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images // Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool

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