Liam Lawson will return to race for RB at the US GP, this weekend. Ahead of the Grand Prix weekend, the Kiwi driver was asked about the expectations Red Bull had of him in the final six races of the season to secure a full-time role next year.
Speaking on the F1 Nation podcast, Lawson told Tom Clarkson, “Basically, they are expecting me to perform at least as well as Yuki [Tsunoda]. I would say that’s what the goal is from the team.”
RB are currently fighting to keep P6 in the constructors’ championship and it will be crucial for the Faenza-based team to have two drivers that can help them score as many points as possible. Moreover, Tsunoda is the benchmark for the Red Bull juniors and Lawson needs to demonstrate that he is ready to take a full-time F1 seat like the Japanese driver.
The 22-year-old is also being considered for a seat at the main team alongside Max Verstappen. Sergio Perez’s situation with the Milton Keynes-based team is still very dicey due to his inconsistency and Lawson’s performances could make a compelling case for Christian Horner and Helmut Marko to place him alongside the Dutchman next season.
This was initially the plan with Daniel Ricciardo. However, the Honey Badger failed to consistently keep up with Tsunoda — leading to the 35-year-old getting the axe after the Singapore GP in favor of Lawson.
RB aim for P6 in the constructors’ championship with Lawson’s help
Lawson explained that the main priority for the team was to ensure that they retain P6 in the standings after the season finale in Abu Dhabi. As things stand, the Faenza-based team have scored 34 points.
The competition for the spot is, however, very intense. Haas sit only three points away in seventh and have had a pretty good package underneath them for the majority of the season. But while only Nico Hulkenberg has been able to lead their charge, RB would expect Lawson to join in with Tsunoda to strengthen their defense.
The constructors’ battle is always a key storyline in F1, with the standings also dictating how much revenue and prize money each team gets. Naturally, RB would be hoping Lawson to hit the ground running at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) this race weekend.
