Liam Lawson again stepped in at Racing Bulls halfway through the season to replace Daniel Ricciardo, but this time it was a definitive swap.
However, his performance level was a little more underwhelming compared to his stint at AlphaTauri (Racing Bull’s predecessor).
This means Lawson scores just 15th place in Pit Debrief‘s 2024 F1 Driver Rankings.
Strong start
The young Kiwi started his second tenure at Team Faenza strongly. Starting 19th following a power unit change in Austin, he made up 10 positions to come home ninth. He scored his first two points of the season.
Oh, and he showed he doesn’t care about reputations, as Fernando Alonso now knows.
Next time out in Mexico he loses out to teammate Yuki Tsunoda in qualifying by the smallest of margins.
The race result is underwhelming however. As the Japanese is eliminated at the start, Lawson went on an alternative strategy. It did not pay off, and after contact with Franco Colapinto, it was a P16 finish.
The rained out qualifying in São Paulo resulted in a nice fifth place on the grid, two spots behind team mate Tsunoda. The race started well for Lawson, but a punt by Oscar Piastri hindered a better result than ninth in the end.
Struggling to the end
Coming into the triple-header that closed off the season, Lawson visibly had a tougher time. No more points were scored, and except for Abu Dhabi, he was not in position to challenge Tsunoda in qualifying.
In Grand Prix qualifying, Lawson failed to beat Tsunoda in the six sessions.
Last in Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi illustrate an underwhelming end to the season. However, the Kiwi showed very strong race pace and was faster than Tsunoda at the final round until a botched stop .
Lawson’s qualities are clear to everyone in the paddock, and swapping with Ricciardo has been the right choice.
Is his performance at the end of the season indicative of a lack of consistency? Or is it just a case of the sophomore slump that gives Lawson such a low ranking in the F1 Driver Rankings?
To Red Bull?
At the moment of writing this review it is unclear whether Lawson or Tsunoda will replace Sergio Pérez, although the New Zealander remains favourite.
If he does get the job, his calm demeanor and stoic approach to racing might just be what is needed to survive next to the Dutchman.
If he doesn’t get it, his first full time season will give him plenty of opportunity to grow and seize the opportunity when it does eventually arise. All in all it was a tough short stint for Lawson.
