Liam Lawson has impressed in his two stints in Formula 1 over the past couple of seasons, and he could be on the verge of a Red Bull drive.
Lawson put in some strong performances after he replaced Daniel Ricciardo at the United States Grand Prix for the RB team.
The Kiwi had to apologise to the team after Lawson got knocked out in SQ2 in Sprint Qualifying and missed out on the top 10.
Lawson scored points in his first race of the season with a drive to ninth place at the Circuit of the Americas for the Italian team.
He also beat teammate Yuki Tsunoda as the Japanese driver failed to reach the top 10 amid a point-less run of races.
There will be a vacancy at Red Bull for next season, as Sergio Perez was a long way behind his four-time world champion teammate, Max Verstappen.
Lawson has been very competitive since first stepping in at RB, and the team’s CEO, Peter Bayer, outlined what impressed him about the New Zealander from their opening exchanges.
Peter Bayer was impressed by how ‘dedicated’ Liam Lawson is
Lawson had a very competitive junior career, and the Kiwi challenged at the front in Formula 2 in a field full of talent.
He has had to wait to get a chance in Formula 1 after sitting on the sidelines. He also raced in Super Formula, which is very close to F1 in terms of performance.
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Bayer explained that he had been pleased with Lawson’s work within the team since the opening day, particularly with how the RB driver approached his job.
He told the RB F1 team YouTube channel: “I have to say that I was impressed from day one, actually, with how Liam is approaching his job as a Formula 1 driver, how dedicated he is.”
Lawson did have some deficiencies this season, as he was out-qualified by his teammate Tsunoda eight times in a row.
Despite the lack of pure pace of qualifying, Dr Helmut Marko and Christian Horner have faith in Lawson, believing he can effectively partner Verstappen in 2025.
Sergio Perez is leaving Red Bull which should open the door for Liam Lawson
The Red Bull driver struggled throughout 2024 and scored his final podium of the year at the Chinese Grand Prix in April before making numerous errors.
Perez is leaving Red Bull despite having a contract for next season, which should allow Lawson to replace him.
It could be risky for Lawson to sign for the Austrian team as he has yet to complete a full season in Formula 1. Partnering with Verstappen could be damaging if Lawson allows the Dutchman to affect him mentally.
Former Formula 1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya has doubts about Lawson as he may need a year of learning while adapting to the front of the field if a promotion occurs.
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