Liam Lawson made his long-awaited F1 debut at the Dutch GP last weekend, filling in for the injured Daniel Ricciardo. While Ricciardo is upset about having his F1 return cut short, his compatriot Oscar Piastri gives Lawson the nod of approval. As per GPToday, Piastri lauded Lawson for his extraordinary performance in what was a difficult race weekend.
Ricciardo injured himself during Friday’s practice session in Zandvoort and broke his wrist. Lawson, who is AlphaTauri’s reserve driver, was asked to replace him, and despite not getting enough time to get up to speed, he impressed everyone watching.
Saturday wasn’t particularly good for the New Zealander, who qualified P20 for the race. However, a chaotic outing on Sunday ensured a P13 finish for him. With that, he also finished ahead of his teammate Yuki Tsunoda, which was a big feat. Now, Lawson is set to suit up for AlphaTauri in the upcoming race weekend too, and this time he has more time to prepare himself.
Ricciardo may not be happy about being forced to give up his seat. However, Lawson is receiving full backing from Piastri, who replaced Ricciardo at McLaren at the end of 2023.
Oscar Piastri full of praise for Liam Lawson
Lawson has been a part of the Red Bull family for a long time. To ensure that he stays in top racing condition, the Milton-Keynes-based outfit decided to send him to Japan to compete in the Super Formula series. There, he is currently P2 in the championship standings.
However, when called upon, he performed fairly well in F1. After the Dutch GP, Piastri spoke about how his fellow rookie did well in Zandvoort, despite the challenging conditions that troubled even the best drivers on the grid.
“My compliments to him,” the Melbourne born driver said. “He did well, despite all the obstacles that faced us. We used to race against each other, and he has always been a tough opponent. I don’t think he could have had a more difficult debut race. “
For now, Lawson will be a part of AlphaTauri for the foreseeable future, unless Ricciardo makes a miraculous recovery.
When will Daniel Ricciardo recover?
Ricciardo underwent surgery on his arm earlier this week, and normally, it would take about 12 weeks for a person to recover from the injury he suffered. Ricciardo, however, is adamant that he wants to return much before that.
Red Bull team principal Chrisitan Horner revealed that the honey badger is eyeing a return at the Singapore GP in three weeks time, although it could be difficult. This is particularly because of the physically demanding nature of Singapore’s circuit.
For now, however, Lawson is adamant on making a mark in F1, so that teams (potentially even AlphaTauri) consider him for a seat in 2024.
