Liam Lawson performed admirably for RB during the final few races of the season as he stepped in for the floundering Daniel Ricciardo.
The New Zealander scored points on his first race of the season at the United States Grand Prix with a battling drive to ninth place and two world championship points.
Lawson was immediately in the wars and wasn’t afraid to get his elbows out in wheel-to-wheel combat as he knew a Red Bull seat could be up for grabs.
The RB driver was decisive, but Lawson stepped over the line in Mexico when he battled Red Bull driver Sergio Perez in a heated duel.
At the final round of the season, Lawson didn’t see the chequered flag in Abu Dhabi as one of the tyres wasn’t fitted at a pit stop.
Gian Carlo Minardi explained why the RB driver may have been slightly nervous over the weekend despite some good performances this year.
Liam Lawson may have been ‘overwhelmed’ in Abu Dhabi due to a potential Red Bull seat opening up
The RB driver has been impressive at times since returning to the Formula 1 grid this season, although Fernando Alonso didn’t enjoy racing Lawson in Austin.
The New Zealander may be the number one contender for a seat at Red Bull ahead of next season if the underperforming Perez parts ways with the team.
Lawson is up against his RB teammate, although Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has doubts about Yuki Tsunoda despite his improvements.
Minardi feels Lawson may have been slightly distracted over the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekend, and there are uncertainties over Tsunoda.
He told Motorsport Italia: “The boy [Tsunoda] has undergone this uncertainty. Lawson, who started well, returned to the team but faded away. Probably, he too was overwhelmed by the tensions of the choices they will make in these next days.”
Red Bull will have to make a decision fairly soon over their second driver alongside Max Verstappen for 2025 as pre-season testing kicks off on the 26th of February.
It may be too early for Liam Lawson to partner Max Verstappen
Lawson has a good level of speed, but he has yet to race at the front of the field, which comes with an extra level of pressure and scrutiny.
Verstappen has been consistently much quicker than his teammates since Daniel Ricciardo left the team at the end of 2018, and Red Bull often had one car off the pace.
Lawson is yet to complete a full season in Formula 1 and some drivers, including Perez, have excelled in the midfield but couldn’t adapt at the front.
Red Bull were left with very few options for the second seat after they overlooked Carlos Sainz when he was available after leaving Ferrari.
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