The 2022 season saw Nyck de Vries’ race debut with Williams at Monza. And gaining a point in his first race impressed a range of teams and it got him a drive at AlphaTauri this year, only to get sacked even before the summer break. Similarly, Liam Lawson got to substitute for injured Daniel Ricciardo. But unlike De Vries, who stepped in for a single race, Lawson had a range of challenges in three races and would step up once again in Japan this weekend. And establishing a comparison, the editor in chief of Race.com Glenn Freeman, in the recent episode of the outlet’s podcast, said the Dutchman wouldn’t have survived the challenge the Red Bull academy star did.
Lawson performances has been spectacular to say the least. From stepping in right before the qualifying at the tricky Zandvoort to picking up his first points at Marina Bay, the most challenging track on the circuit, the Kiwi race driver has been impressive at every step.
Liam Lawson scores his first ever points in F1 and AlphaTauri’s best result in 2023 in just his third race for the team. What a talent ⭐️ pic.twitter.com/JlFicTOzuV
— ESPN F1 (@ESPNF1) September 17, 2023
He has exceeded the expectations, and is also putting pressure on Red Bull to have a look over their roster for 2024. And at the same time, it also highlights a big mistake done by the F1 giants.
Nyck de Vries couldn’t have done what Liam Lawson did
With De Vries getting the nod from AlphaTauri last year on the basis of one race, Freeman believes that he couldn’t have done what Lawson did in three races. And definitely they should have taken more performative sample before hiring him.
“If De Vries had three races like Lawson had, the other two would have shown he wasn’t up to it. And Red Bull pulled the too quickly then,” said Freeman.
Freeman further claims that now drivers with a higher ceiling wouldn’t get a shot at F1 on basis of one race because of the failure of the Dutch race driver. Though, Edd Straw claims that Williams hiring De Vries would have been better as he seemed to be more suited to them. Nevertheless, Lawson’s exceptional performances has raised the expectations across the grid higher.
The benchmark of rookies
With Lawson immediately stepping on the challenge from first day, it has at least shown the team bosses that the right rookie can be amazing on the very first day at the job. Thus, it surely adds pressure on rookie, who would in future or are still taking time to get settled.
Logan Sargeant’s woes have increased because of this reason only. Before the Super Formula driver arrived to the scene there were only murmurs of doubts over the American race driver’s future with Williams.
However, the recent exhibition by Lawson keeps him exposed to a potential sacking with other prospects in line. With Williams needing a driver to be close to Alex Albon and pick points consistently, Sargeant could be shown the door if he fails to improve before the season ends.
