Martin Brundle pinpoints exact US Grand Prix moment that showed Liam Lawson deserves a Red Bull seat

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Visa Cash App RB driver Liam Lawson will be absolutely delighted with his return to Formula 1.

RB were under scrutiny from the wider world of F1 after deciding to replace Daniel Ricciardo for Liam Lawson for the United States Grand Prix.

Although Ricciardo has an impressive racing CV, he wasn’t able to defeat teammate Yuki Tsunoda in their head-to-head battle.

It meant Red Bull were forced to make a change with six races to go so that they could assess Lawson ahead of the 2025 season.

Not only have RB not confirmed their second driver for next year, but Sergio Perez is under increased pressure in the senior Red Bull team.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Red Bull Racing from engine to Ford links

Lawson has been suggested as a replacement for Perez, while his new teammate Tsunoda is also under consideration for a Red Bull promotion.

Martin Brundle and David Croft were commentating on the race for Sky Sports F1 and spotted one moment in particular from Lawson that left them seriously impressed.

Lawson had a tussle with Fernando Alonso during the Sprint Race that left the experienced Spaniard frustrated with F1’s newest driver.

He impressed with his efforts in Q1 despite knowing he would be starting from the back of the grid due to engine penalties.

The Kiwi drove impeccably to go from 19th on the grid to a points-scoring position, which would have immediately turned heads at Red Bull.

Martin Brundle seriously impressed with Liam Lawson during the United States Grand Prix

Assessing Lawson during his first stint, Croft said: “On his return to Formula 1 replacing Daniel Ricciardo for the rest of the season, he’s already up now into 11th place!”

Brundle replied: “And he just passed Alonso on the last lap! Slipstream down the straight, kept it all under control, pointed his nose into the apex, hit the loud pedal and a very clean pass.

“Fernando having a look down the inside, it was only ever going to make his tyres a little bit dirty.

“This is exactly the kind of performance Lawson needs to put in, if he does, I can see him as Verstappen’s teammate next year at Red Bull.

READ MORE: Who is Visa Cash App RB driver Liam Lawson? Everything you need to know

“If he drives and really outperforms this car because Sergio’s down there.

“Sergio should be steaming through Tsunoda, and Magnussen and Gasly.”

Croft concluded: “But he’s not, and it’s not the first race that that’s happened either.”

Sergio Perez fails to impress during the US Grand Prix

Lawson did brilliantly to race from the back row of the grid to score points which will put significant pressure on his rivals.

Tsunoda was left frustrated on the team radio after being undercut by Lawson having pitted nearly 20 laps before his teammate.

The Japanese driver was out of contention for points as soon as Lawson and Franco Colapinto undercut him and his spin going into turn one later in the race summed up his day.

Tsunoda and Perez’s battle during the Sprint Race highlights how keen they are to impress, but they sacrificed their outright pace while tussling.

Perez is in a much more precarious position given Lawson has immediately shown what he can do after just one Grand Prix.

The 22-year-old only had one practice session to get to grips with the car and hadn’t taken part in a competitive race since his last F1 outing in 2023.

Lawson has five races left to prove himself although he may not get the best reception in Mexico City if suggestions he could replace Perez gather pace over the next few days.