Kevin Magnussen gives six-word answer on the difference between Liam Lawson and Daniel Ricciardo

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RB and Haas have been battling in the constructors’ championship for much of the season. But Laurent Mekies may feel he made his team stronger with the addition of Liam Lawson at the expense of an underperforming Daniel Ricciardo.

After the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, it’s Haas who are marginally ahead, with 46 points to RB’s 44. The gap has been close all year and it’s tighter than ever following a double points finish for Lawson (ninth) and Yuki Tsunoda (seventh).

However, both teams were leapfrogged by Alpine, who scored an extraordinary double podium. The result more than tripled their tally of 14 points in the first 20 races.

Now on 49, Alpine face a three-way tussle for sixth in the championship, with millions of dollars of prize money at stake. Lawson’s main focus is impressing Red Bull and earning a seat alongside Max Verstappen, but scoring decisive points for RB would strengthen his case significantly.

The New Zealander has come home in P9 twice in his first three races, with RB showing signs of finishing strong after a mid-season slump. Haas had to call upon Oliver Bearman in Brazil with Kevin Magnussen out through illness, and their five-race scoring streak came to an end as both drivers struggled in wet conditions.

Kevin Magnussen says Liam Lawson is much more aggressive against Sergio Perez

Speaking on ‘Debrief with Kevin Magnussen’ for Viaplay Denmark, the Haas driver was asked about Lawson’s start. It was put to him that he ‘seems a bit more tough on track than Ricciardo’.

Lawson angered Fernando Alonso on his first weekend back in the United States as he defended aggressively in the Sprint race. Then, in Mexico, he collided with Sergio Perez, leaving the Red Bull with race-ruining sidepod damage.

While the stewards deemed it a racing incident, the 22-year-old was, if anything, more aggressive against the sister team. Ted Kravitz even called Lawson ‘the bad boy of Red Bull’ afterwards, though that was met with a stonefaced reception.

In Brazil, Lawson moved under braking while racing Perez, with Karun Chandhok and David Croft agreeing that he just about stayed within the limits. The Mexican won that battle in the Sprint, but finished two spots behind in the Grand Prix.

Addressing Lawson’s toughness, Magnussen replied: “Yeah, certainly a lot against Perez!”

What Daniel Ricciardo said to Liam Lawson after RB driver swap

Fighting Perez is ‘perfect’ for Lawson, ESPN’s Laurence Edmondson says. It’s rather embarrassing for the veteran to find himself racing a midfield car in the first place.

BBC commentator Harry Benjamin is concerned that Lawson has been ‘too punchy’. Red Bull may want a calmer presence next to Verstappen.

Before he left RB, Ricciardo told Lawson to take his chance with ‘both hands’. He’s followed that advice, driving with a certain desperation while still delivering strong results.

But Red Bull want Lawson to improve over one lap. In five qualifying sessions so far this year (Sprint and Grand Prix), he’s only beaten Tsunoda once, though the Japanese driver did crash at the end of Q2 in Mexico to deny his teammate another effort.