Helmut Marko offers first Liam Lawson verdict upon F1 return at United States GP

Red Bull adviser Helmut Marko believes New Zealand star Liam Lawson “did a very good job” upon his return to competitive F1 action in sprint qualifying at the United States Grand Prix.

Red Bull junior team VCARB announced last month that Hastings-born Lawson will contest the final six races of the F1 2024 season having replaced Australia’s Daniel Ricciardo following the Singapore GP.

Helmut Marko satisfied with Liam Lawson F1 comeback showing at United States GP

Additional reporting by Elizabeth Blackstock

After a bright start in practice in Austin, Texas, on Friday, Lawson went faster than established team-mate Yuki Tsunoda in the first stage of sprint qualifying.

However, the 22-year-old was ultimately forced to settle for 15th place after having a lap deleted for a track limits breach in the closing stages of SQ2.

The United States GP marks Lawson’s first F1 appearance in more than a year, having impressed in a five-race cameo while standing in for an injured Ricciardo in mid-2023.

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Speaking exclusively to PlanetF1.com’s US editor Elizabeth Blackstock after sprint qualifying, Marko declared himself satisfied with Lawson’s comeback performance.

Asked if he was expecting more from Lawson, he replied: “No, he did basically a very good job.

“He was unlucky with track limits, so he was eliminated in P12, but in SQ1 he was faster than Yuki.

“He never has been on this track, so it’s OK.”

Despite announcing Lawson would replace Ricciardo for the rest of F1 2024, VCARB stopped short of confirming the youngster for next season – sparking suggestions that Lawson could yet emerge as a contender to replace Sergio Perez at Red Bull Racing in F1 2025.

Christian Horner, the Red Bull team principal, recently hinted that Lawson could be considered as a serious alternative to Perez, admitting ahead of Lawson’s return that the team “desperately need answers” in the hope of having two drivers capable of scoring consistent points next season.

Perez, who remains without a podium finish since the Chinese Grand Prix in April, endured a troubled sprint qualifying session, managing only 11th on the grid as team-mate Max Verstappen stormed to his first pole position of any kind since the Austrian GP in late June.

Asked if he was disappointed by Perez’s performance, Marko added: “He was qualifying with the soft tyre. He said he had no grip on the tyre, we have to check why that is.

“But it will be difficult from P11 to finish in the points.”

Lawson is set to start from the back of the grid for Sunday’s main race at the Circuit of The Americas, with the FIA confirming a 60-place grid penalty following a change of engine.

F1 rules state that engine components are attached to the car, rather than each individual driver, forcing Lawson to serve a penalty after inheriting Ricciardo’s pool of parts.

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