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Horner comments on "impressive" Lawson after his full F1 debut
Christian Horner says it is 'hard to predict' how Liam Lawson would perform behind the wheel of a Red Bull Racing car, despite an "impressive" official debut at the United States Grand Prix. The New Zealander replaced Daniel Ricciardo for the remainder of the 2024 season, giving him his first official seat in F1 after his stint at VCARB last year was only to replace an injured Ricciardo.
Lawson's future in the premier class of motorsport is still unknown, with no contract signed at any team for the 2025 season. However, with a seat still yet to be announced for next season at VCARB, the 22-year-old has five more races to prove himself, doing just that in Austin last weekend. Lawson earned points in his official debut, finishing in P9 after starting in P19.
"I was very impressed," Horner stated when asked about the performance from the New Zealander. "To jump in a car, a circuit that he'd not been to before, the pressure of just having to get in and get on with it over a sprint weekend. I thought he acquitted himself very well. And I think to go from the back to ninth and score points on his seasonal debut, I thought he did a super job."
"Difficult to hypothesise" what Lawson could do at Red Bull
With that second seat still available at Visa Cash App RB for the 2025 season, Lawson is frequently linked to it. However, a seat at Red Bull for 2025 is still not out of the question after another tricky season for Sergio Perez. The Red Bull team boss was asked how Lawson would perform if he were behind the wheel of the RB20 in Austin, and not a VCARB
"I mean, that's difficult to hypothesise," Horner said. "I mean, he's obviously a talented guy. We know a bit about him from the work he's been doing in tyre testing and so on. And he's a talent that's continuing to nurture and continuing to grow. It's interesting to see how he performs over these remaining five races."
This article was created in collaboration with Estéban den Toom
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