US Grand Prix: Liam Lawson’s F1 report card

Liam Lawson’s time as a Formula 1 race driver is over, for now, with Daniel Ricciardo reclaiming his seat at the AlphaTauri team for this weekend’s United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas (8am, Monday NZT). Ricciardo’s absence due to injury gave Lawson a five-race audition for a Formula 1 future at AlphaTauri team. So how did those races go?

Dutch Grand Prix

Qualified: 20th, Finished: 13th

Ricciardo crashed and broke his hand on Friday afternoon preparing for the Dutch Grand Prix. As designated super-sub, Lawson was thrown into a car he’d never driven with only one practice session to figure things out. On unfamiliar tyres, he qualified last. Life didn’t get any easier on race day with rain showers and a slippery track. But Lawson didn’t crash or make any major mistakes in a race where there was plenty of opportunity to do so, and even had a crowd-pleasing battle with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc before finishing 13th, two spots ahead of teammate Tsunoda.

“The aim was to do all 72 laps today,” said Lawson, afterwards. “There’s some work to do, but I’m just happy to have gotten through the race, experiencing different conditions and scenarios, to be able to take them forward.”

Conclusion: A level-headed approach to a last-minute opportunity which gave AlphaTauri enough confidence to announce they’d keep Lawson in the car until Ricciardo was fit to return.

Rating: B+

Italian Grand Prix

Qualified: 12th, Finished: 11th

In his first full Grand Prix weekend Lawson impressed by reaching Q2, the second part of the knockout qualifying hour, just behind teammate Tsunoda. In the race Lawson made a slow start, but ran competitively to finish a respectable 11th, one place outside the points.

“I could have done a better job, and that’s where we lost the chance,” he said of his start, adding that he thought he had the pace to score points.

Conclusion: A very accomplished first full weekend as a Grand Prix driver, with Lawson acknowledging he’d left performance on the table in the first few seconds of the race.

Rating: B+

Singapore Grand Prix

Qualified: 10th, Finished: 9th

Lawson said he would have liked more time to physically prepare for Singapore, which is known as one of Formula 1′s most demanding tracks. He shrugged off those concerns to continue his upward trajectory and make Q3 for the first time. In the race, the Kiwi started slowly again, but he stayed off the walls while others crashed, resulting in 9th place, and two valuable points. It was AlphaTauri’s best finish of the season so far, and Lawson’s parents were in Singapore to share their son’s breakthrough moment in his short F1 career.

“We stayed out of trouble... and kept it clean,” he said. “At the end of the day, I’m really happy to have scored two points.”

Conclusion: A feel-good result on a weekend where Lawson proved he belonged among the best drivers in the world, and forced his way into conversations about the 2024 F1 driver market.

Rating: A

Japanese Grand Prix

Qualified: 11th, Finished: 11th

Lawson’s hopes of being on the grid next season were deflated ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka, with AlphaTauri announcing Tsunoda and the recovering Ricciardo had been signed for 2024. Lawson started a credible 11th, went wheel-to-wheel with teammate Tsunoda for much of the first lap, but crucially did not make contact. Lawson’s robustness in battle paid off, and he managed to hold his advantage to beat Tsunoda in their first straight fight (Tsunoda broke down before starting in Monza, and was taken out on the first lap in Singapore) to finish just outside the points.

“The fight with Yuki was aggressive, but I think it was a fair race,” reflected Lawson.

Conclusion: Lawson demonstrates maturity in battle to beat his Japanese teammate on home turf in their first proper head-to-head over a race distance.

Rating: A-

Liam Lawson during practice sessions at the Japanese Formula 1. Photo / Photosport

Qatar Grand Prix

Qualified: 18th, Finished: 17th

On a track he’d never been to before, Lawson couldn’t get his AlphaTauri to behave as he wished, and wasn’t able to progress from Q1. In Saturday’s Sprint Race, Lawson spun off and retired on the first lap. In the Grand Prix, Lawson was able to survive the extremely hot weather conditions which made some drivers vomit in their cars and others quit the race with exhaustion, but with the car not handling, he could only manage 17th.

“It was very hot, and when you’re struggling with the car, it makes it even harder to extract the pace,” he said. “It seems to be my last race with the team before Daniel comes back... and it’s a shame to finish like this.”

Conclusion: A muted end to Lawson’s time in the AlphaTauri which featured the only major mistake in his five-race campaign. Forgivable, given what he’s achieved, and a reminder that he was, after all, a rookie.

Rating: C

What now?

Ricciardo is back for the five remaining races of the 2023 season, providing his hand is fully fixed. In his few races, Lawson has already reached – and at times eclipsed – the performance of Tsunoda, who has been in F1 for three seasons. AlphaTauri, and owners Red Bull, will now have the chance to crunch the numbers and directly compare Lawson’s performances with those of Australian veteran Ricciardo.

For next year, Lawson will be back on the Red Bull subs bench, with rumours suggesting he may have a well-earned race contract in his pocket for 2025. But at the senior team, Red Bull Racing, there are persistent questions about Max Verstappen’s chronically-underperforming teammate Sergio Perez. An off-season reshuffle at Red Bull resulting in Perez’s departure can’t be ruled out. Such a scenario would likely see Ricciardo head back to the main team, with Lawson elevated to a fulltime seat at AlphaTauri. Or perhaps, Lawson could go straight to Red Bull Racing itself. The Kiwi has made the most of his chance to show he’s ready.