Liam Lawson ‘super excited’ for F1 return at US Grand Prix

Liam Lawson ‘super excited’ for F1 return at US Grand Prix

16th October 2024 0 By Kamron Kent

Liam Lawson is ‘super excited’ to return to Formula 1 in Austin, for the United States Grand Prix, having replaced Daniel Ricciardo for the rest of the season.

Feature image credit: Red Bull Content Pool

After the Singapore Grand Prix, it was announced Daniel Ricciardo was to step down from the Visa Cash App RB team for the remainder of the season and will be replaced by Lawson. 

It will not be Lawson’s first appearance with the team as he stepped in to substitute Ricciardo when the Australian broke his hand at the 2023 Dutch Grand Prix, then known as AlphaTauri. 

Ahead of his return, Lawson has stated he is ‘super excited’ for the race and getting behind the wheel of the car. Having been a track he has never raced at, the New Zealander has reportedly spent plenty of time at the circuit on the team’s simulator. 

“I’m super excited for Austin and getting in the RB VCARB 1 for the first time,” Lawson said. “I’ve been to COTA a few times as a reserve and it’s probably one of my favourite races to go to, the atmosphere there is amazing. 

“Although it’s a track I have yet to race at, I’ve spent plenty of time on it in the simulator. 

“It has a great layout, so I’m looking forward to driving it for the first time, and generally stoked to be back racing and working with the team to get the best results we can.”

Lawson put in an impressive rookie performance in his five-race stint from the 2023 Dutch Grand Prix up until the 2023 Qatar Grand Prix, taking his maiden points finish in Singapore – his third race.

Whilst Lawson was out-qualified 4-1 against Yuki Tsunoda, the Kiwi out-performed his temporary teammate 4-1 in race conditions, outscoring the Japanese driver by two points when Lawson took his first set of points.

However, in Austin this weekend, it has been described as a ‘soft re-entry’ by Red Bull Racing Team Principal, Christian Horner as the Kiwi is expected to get a engine penalty on his return. Speaking on the F1 Nation Podcast, Horner said:

“He [Lawson] will be taking an engine penalty there anyway so he’s got a bit of a soft landing, or a soft re-entry. Of course, he’s going to be gauged by his teammate, he was very quick against him last year.

“I think Yuki stepped it up a gear again this year so it’s going to be fascinating to see how quickly he [Lawson] adapts, how quickly he gets on with it.”

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Hi, I'm Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion. I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I've loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.

CategoryFormula 1 Formula Series News
TagsDaniel Ricciardo F1 Formula 1 Liam Lawson United States Grand Prix US Grand Prix VCARB

About the author

Hi, I'm Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion. I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I've loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.

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