After an impressive five-race stint in 2023, Liam Lawson is back on the F1 grid for six more races in 2024. This time, however, he will race as a permanent driver and not a stop-gap replacement for an ailing driver. That fulfills his dream of driving in F1 and his alma mater from New Zealand could not be more thrilled.
Pukekohe High School (PHS), the school based in Auckland, has congratulated Lawson for ‘achieving his dream.’ PHS often posts such uplifting messages for its pupils who go on to achieve success in their specific fields. This time, they took to Instagram to post a message for Lawson.
The post read, “Congratulations Liam Lawson. A PHS alumni who has achieved his childhood dream of becoming a full-time driver of Oracle Red Bull Racing Formula One.”
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Lawson’s return to F1 was a question of ‘when’ and not ‘if.’ That is because of his successful stint back in 2023 when he replaced Daniel Ricciardo, who fractured his hand after an accident during the Belgian GP weekend. The accident ruled the Aussie driver out for five races, giving Lawson the opportunity to prove his worth.
In those five races, the Kiwi driver not only managed to score points but also kept himself within touching distance of much more experienced teammate Yuki Tsunoda. The feat was particularly more impressive because the car was among the worst performers on the grid.
The reasoning behind bringing Lawson in the middle of the season is well-known. Sergio Perez’s form has failed to pick up since the announcement of his contract extension. Red Bull, which failed to get Ricciardo up to the level, now wants to try getting Lawson up to speed for a potential place in the senior team.
Lawson and Tsunoda to fight for Red Bull seat?
Until recently, many experts believed Lawson to be the only RB driver to be in the running for Perez’s seat. Tsunoda, meanwhile, was being seen as just the benchmark the Kiwi driver needed to beat to make the cut. However, the latest developments suggest the Japanese driver is also in the running to be Max Verstappen’s teammate in 2025.
And it is none other than Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko who has confirmed the same. Citing the same, veteran F1 photojournalist Kym Illman wrote, “Helmut Marko has as good as said that one of these two men [Lawson and Tsunoda] will be driving for Red Bull in 2025.”
“Over the next 6 races, Liam and Yuki will be fighting tooth and nail to impress the Red Bull hierarchy with the better driver likely to replace Sergio Perez if his form doesn’t dramatically improve. It’ll be enthralling for sure,” he added.
