Zero-race gem outshone ‘overdriving’ Liam Lawson in private RB test this year

Liam Lawson is hoping he’ll be driving a Red Bull in his next Formula 1 outing. The Australian Grand Prix is the closest he’ll get to racing in his homeland, New Zealand.

Lawson hasn’t had the chance to race at Albert Park because his first two F1 call-ups have come late in the season. He deputised for an injured Daniel Ricciardo for five races in 2023, and replaced him for the last six of 2024.

And after just 11 outings, he could be set to partner Max Verstappen. This comes after Red Bull decided to remove Sergio Perez, whose underperformance had become chronic.

Lawson is the favourite to replace Perez but the promotion isn’t guaranteed. RB teammate Yuki Tsunoda remains a contender too.

Tsunoda will feel extremely hard done by if overlooked given that he won the Grand Prix qualifying head-to-head against Lawson 5-0 and the race-day battle 4-1. But Red Bull seemingly believe that the latter will be more consistently fast.

Verstappen’s last three teammates have all performed at a similar level. Pierre Gasly lasted half a season, Alex Albon was gone after 18 months, and while Perez is at the end of his fourth campaign, he’s finished a combined 575 points behind the Dutchman in the last two years.

Ayumu Iwasa impressed RB engineers more than Liam Lawson in private test

Speaking to Auto Sport Web, Honda Racing Corporation Executive Advisor Takuma Sato shared his insight on one of Lawson’s test sessions earlier this year. Sato is a former F1 driver himself, having competed in 90 races for Jordan, BAR and Super Aguri between 2002 and 2008.

Tsunoda, Ricciardo and Lawson – all Red Bull hopefuls – tested at Imola, the home of the Emilia Romagna GP, during the summer. They were joined on track by former F2 driver Ayumu Iwasa.

Iwasa spent two years in the series, notching five wins and 12 podiums as he finished fifth then fourth in the standings. He’s most recently taken part in Super Formula in his Japanese homeland.

The 23-year-old appeared for RB in FP1 at Suzuka and Yas Marina, was also involved in Tuesday’s post-season test. According to Sato, he received better feedback than Lawson after his Imola outing.

“Naturally, I went not only to support Yuki, but also to support Ayumu, and about half of the RB staff there, formerly Toro Rosso, who I tested with in 2008, were still there,” he said. “So there were a lot of familiar faces.

“As we talked, it turned out that the engineers on-site really valued Ayumu’s extremely sensitive abilities, and the feedback they were giving him in the simulator was extremely appropriate.

“During the actual test at Imola, Lawson wanted to show his speed so he was pushing hard, and in a sense he was overdriving, but Ayumu was driving with great control, so the feedback from the engineers on-site was at a higher level for Ayumu.”

What Christian Horner and Helmut Marko secretly think about Liam Lawson

Like Tsunoda, Iwasa is part of the Red Bull programme due to his ties to Honda. But they will stop supplying engines to the two teams from 2026, which may explain why neither Japanese driver has much upward mobility.

Helmut Marko told Iwasa to grow his ‘fanbase’ this year, and while he took his advice on board by being more active on social media, it doesn’t seem to have improved his prospects. If there is to be an opening at RB, it looks likely to go to Isack Hadjar instead.

Marko and Horner have privately been deliberating since Abu Dhabi. Lawson has impressed both Red Bull leaders, but they disagree on Tsunoda.

And that consensus should be enough for him to make a dream move, only months after he was watching from the sidelines. But after capitalising on Ricciardo’s struggles, he knows better than most that they will be ruthless if he doesn’t deliver.