Christian Horner commends Lawson's bold performance in F1 comeback
Liam Lawson has garnered significant praise from Red Bull boss Christian Horner following his impressive comeback race in Formula 1 at the U.S. Grand Prix. Returning to the grid for the first time in over a year, the 22-year-old driver surged from 19th to ninth place, marking a notable performance in Sunday's event.
Lawson has stepped in for Daniel Ricciardo at the Red Bull-owned RB team for the rest of the season, with a golden opportunity to secure a race seat for 2025. Starting from the back of the grid due to an engine penalty, Lawson had already made headlines on Saturday, clashing with Aston Martin's double world champion, Fernando Alonso, during the sprint race.
The altercation led Alonso to label Lawson an "idiot," with further heated exchanges between the two post-race.
"I think if you're getting into a spat and getting your elbows out with Fernando on your first race back in, you're doing alright," Horner told reporters. "I think that he drove an exceptional race today from 19th to ninth. He was fast, he was courageous and I thought it was an excellent comeback for him."
Lawson, who had previously made five appearances last year as a stand-in for the injured Ricciardo, expressed his surprise at his performance. "I just went for every little gap and made up some positions," he said. "We made a really good step up with the car yesterday, which we hoped would replicate in the race today and thankfully it did."
Team boss Laurent Mekies also commended Lawson's effort, highlighting the challenging circumstances. "It was a great job, especially when one considers he has not raced since October last year," Mekies remarked.
Lawson's dynamic return and gritty performance have certainly set the stage for what could be a promising stint in F1.
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