Ted Kravitz says Liam Lawson deliberately sent a ‘message’ to Christian Horner at US Grand Prix

Follow us on Google Discover

Liam Lawson is already proving his worth with Visa Cash App RB at his debut race in 2024 at the United States Grand Prix.

The 22-year-old has been drafted in to replace Daniel Ricciardo after he was axed by RB following the Singapore Grand Prix. Lawson will compete in the final six events of the season with a view to a permanent seat in 2025.

The Kiwi driver previously raced with the Faenza outfit under their AlphaTauri name in 2023 in place of Ricciardo after the Aussie broke his wrist at Zandvoort. Lawson put in some standout performances in his five appearances with the team and scored his first F1 points in Singapore.

However, he was not selected for a full-time seat in 2024 and was left on the sidelines as the reserve driver for Red Bull. Now, Lawson will be given that chance to prove himself for a spot with the team next season.

In Saturday’s Sprint race, Lawson got through to SQ2 but lined up 15th. The Kiwi driver lost one position in the race to finish 16th.

Liam Lawson wanted to prove what he could do in Qualifying in Austin

Red Bull are expecting Lawson to match teammate Yuki Tsunoda over the next six races as they assess whether he is ready for a full-time drive. The 22-year-old will have a brutal re-introduction to F1 though, as he will line up for the race on Sunday at the back of the grid following several engine component changes.

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

But that did not stop Lawson from heading out on track in qualifying and showing the world exactly what he is capable of. In Q1, the Kiwi driver took an incredible third place, just under three-tenths behind time topper Max Verstappen and just under half a second faster than Tsunoda.

RB opted not to send Lawson out in Q2 with his grid spot for the race already determined, but Ted Kravitz told the Sky Sports F1 coverage that his Q1 performance was a ‘message’ to Christian Horner and Helmut Marko.

“I don’t expect to see him Crofty, take part in this session in Q2,” he said. “The mechanics, I can just see them down to the RB garage, they kind of look like they’re just taking the car, yeah they’re putting fans on it. I don’t think they’re going to send him out.

“On the radio, Liam Lawson said that ‘look, that’s all I wanted to do’ and his engineer said: ‘you have shown what you can do’.

“So that lap time, P3 for Lawson so far ahead, few tenths ahead of his teammate Yuki Tsunoda in the same car was just a message to Christian Horner, to Helmut Marko: ‘put me in, I can do this in qualifying.’

“Let’s see what Liam can do in the race.”

Has Liam Lawson already proven what he can do with that Q1 performance?

While it is still very much early days in Red Bull’s assessment of Lawson in their junior team, going third fastest in an RB, convincingly quicker than his teammate and not far behind Verstappen in the main car is not something to be scoffed at.

It is clear that Lawson has the pace and is able to keep up with his rivals and even beat them. He will have it all to do on Sunday starting from the back, but his speed this weekend will strike some worry amongst the rest of the field.

A good Lawson result could spell bad news for Sergio Perez as the Mexican is in danger of losing his seat with Red Bull. Perez has had a torrid season thus far as he has only finished in the top six once in the last 12 Grand Prix.

It is not known where Lawson will end up come 2025, but if he can keep up the pace he has so far in Austin, it is only a matter of time before his spot on the grid next year is confirmed.