New Zealander Liam Lawson will be hit with an immediate grid penalty when he returns to Formula One at this month's US Grand Prix in Austin, Red Bull team boss Christian Horner confirmed.
Lawson, 22, is replacing dropped Australian Daniel Ricciardo for the last six races of the season alongside Yuki Tsunoda at the Red Bull-owned RB team, with Austin a sprint weekend on October 19-20.
The Kiwi impressed after five races last season when Ricciardo was injured and is being assessed for a 2025 drive with RB and a possible longer-term future with Red Bull.
“In Austin, he'll be taking an engine penalty anyway,” Horner told Formula One's F1 Nation podcast. “So he's got a bit of a soft landing, or soft re-entry.
“But he's going to be assessed against his teammate.
“He was quick against him last year. I think Yuki stepped it up a gear again this year so it's going to be fascinating to see how quickly he adapts, how quickly he gets on with it.”
The penalty, inherited from Ricciardo, for exceeding the season's engine allocation is 10 places in the first instance.
Lawson told the New Zealand Herald he needed to perform and nothing was set in stone in terms of a seat for next year.
Lawson slapped with grid penalty for US Grand Prix
Image: Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool
New Zealander Liam Lawson will be hit with an immediate grid penalty when he returns to Formula One at this month's US Grand Prix in Austin, Red Bull team boss Christian Horner confirmed.
Lawson, 22, is replacing dropped Australian Daniel Ricciardo for the last six races of the season alongside Yuki Tsunoda at the Red Bull-owned RB team, with Austin a sprint weekend on October 19-20.
The Kiwi impressed after five races last season when Ricciardo was injured and is being assessed for a 2025 drive with RB and a possible longer-term future with Red Bull.
“In Austin, he'll be taking an engine penalty anyway,” Horner told Formula One's F1 Nation podcast. “So he's got a bit of a soft landing, or soft re-entry.
“But he's going to be assessed against his teammate.
“He was quick against him last year. I think Yuki stepped it up a gear again this year so it's going to be fascinating to see how quickly he adapts, how quickly he gets on with it.”
The penalty, inherited from Ricciardo, for exceeding the season's engine allocation is 10 places in the first instance.
Lawson told the New Zealand Herald he needed to perform and nothing was set in stone in terms of a seat for next year.
MORE:
Renault to stop making F1 engines after 2025 season
Lawson in F1 hot seat as he feels the pressure to perform
Hamilton reveals long battle with depression in Times interview
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Most read
Latest Videos