Best moments of Liam Lawson’s F1 career including first race and points finish

Follow us on Google Discover

Liam Lawson has produced some great moments during his Formula 1 career so far, so F1 Oversteer has taken a look at some of his best races including his first points finish and debut.

The New Zealand racing driver has been on the F1 grid since midway through the 2023 season, when he raced for Red Bull sister team Alpha Tauri (now Racing Bulls).

He contested six races in the season, before making a comeback midway through 2024 to race another 11 Grands Prix after replacing Daniel Ricciardo.

Lawson adds a second team to his career tally in 2025 when he will race for Red Bull’s main team alongside Max Verstappen, replacing the Mexican Sergio Perez. With that in mind, let’s take a look at Lawson’s career under the Red Bull umbrella so far in F1.

Where did Liam Lawson make his Formula 1 debut?

Liam Lawson made an unexpected F1 debut at the 2023 Dutch Grand Prix with Alpha Tauri, after Daniel Ricciardo injured himself during Friday practice.

Ricciardo had been setting a lap when he collided with the barriers on the Turn 3 banking trying to avoid a stricken Oscar Piastri. The impact into the TecPro caused his steering wheel to hit the top of his wrist, breaking his metacarpal and causing him to sit out for the next six weeks.

As a result, Ricciardo missed five races (Netherlands, Italy, Singapore, Japan, Qatar) and Lawson was drafted in to replace him. It was a difficult weekend with changing conditions affecting the race, as drivers had to dash into the pits on the opening lap for wet tyres.

After a 40-minute red flag and 72 laps, Lawson managed to keep himself out of trouble and finish in P13 just behind the Haas of Nico Hulkenberg. Lawson’s race impressed Red Bull management, who from that point saw him as a viable alternative should they need to put him in one of their cars in the future.

Liam Lawson scored his first points at the 2023 Singapore Grand Prix

Liam Lawson scored his first points in F1 at the 2023 Singapore Grand Prix, one of the hardest races on the calendar to compete in due to the humidity and length.

Singapore had made tweaks to the track due to ongoing work, which meant the race was slightly shorter than usual. Lawson qualified in P10 ahead of Max Verstappen after the Dutchman mistimed his run and was knocked out in Q2.

With a points finish in sight, Lawson stayed inside the top ten and was promoted to P9 in the closing stages after a crash from George Russell on the penultimate lap. It meant Lawson scored two points, his first and last of the season.

Liam Lawson has produced some great moments during chaotic F1 Grands Prix

While filling in for Daniel Ricciardo at Alpha Tauri, Liam Lawson contested two of the toughest races of the season back-to-back.

Singapore was one of them and then next up was Qatar, where several drivers had either passed out or vomited in the car due to heat exhaustion. The extreme conditions were brought on by a combination of safety concerns by Pirelli leading to mandated stint lengths and incredibly humid conditions.

Lawson kept out of trouble and finished in P17, and while the finish was not spectacular it was an impressive effort just five races into his F1 career to finish without any major issues.

The New Zealander would go on to have other great races on his F1 return in 2024, finishing ninth in the US Grand Prix after starting from P15 on the grid. Lawson raced Fernando Alonso wheel-to-wheel during the Sprint weekend, which irritated the Spaniard because he felt he was being blocked.

Lawson would repeat his best finish at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, another race in which changing conditions and chaos played a role.