Liam Lawson impresses Red Bull on F1 return with ‘man for the future’ verdict

Liam Lawson impressed Red Bull on his return to F1 at the United States Grand Prix.

The 22-year-old, who was drafted in as a replacement for Daniel Ricciardo at Red Bull’s sister team RB, rose from 19th on the grid to score points in ninth with a brilliant recovery drive.

Lawson was forced to start at the back at COTA due to an inherited engine penalty. That came after he qualified 15th in the sprint - having set the third-quickest time in SQ1 - before finishing 16th in a race in which he battled two-time world champion Fernando Alonso.

His performance in his first grand prix outing for over a year drew praise from Red Bull team principal Christian Horner.

"I think if you're getting into a spat and getting your elbows out with Fernando on your first race back in, you're doing alright," Horner told reporters in Austin.

"I think that he drove an exceptional race today from 19th to ninth. He was fast, he was courageous and I thought it was an excellent comeback for him.”

Lawson is looking to secure a full-time seat with RB for next year alongside Yuki Tsunoda, but he is aware he could yet stake a claim for a Red Bull seat in place of the underperforming and under pressure Sergio Perez.

Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko was also impressed, describing Lawson as “a man for the future”.

“A really great debut,” Marko told Sky Germany. “That was already apparent in Q1, where he drove the third fastest time.

“He was in control at all times and had great overtaking manoeuvres. You have to put the youngsters in the car and then it works. He is definitely a man for the future.”

Lawson himself said: "I just went for every little gap and made up some positions. We made a really good step up with the car yesterday, which we hoped would replicate in the race today and thankfully it did."