Lawson impresses on F1 debut

Liam Lawson has produced a solid performance on his Formula 1 debut after finishing 13th in the Dutch Grand Prix.

The Kiwi driver was called up by the Scuderia AlphaTauri team as a late replacement for the injured Daniel Ricciardo and impressed onlookers with his efforts during a rain-hit race at Zandvoort on August 28 (NZ time).

The 21-year-old became the 10th New Zealander to race an F1 car and finished 26.147 seconds behind winner and championship leader Max Verstappen.

Lawson, pictured, says he was happy to complete the race after starting 20th on the grid and finishing ahead of his team-mate Yuki Tsunoda, who was 16th.

“The aim was to do all 72 laps today. When I first got on the grid and it started raining, it wasn’t the best feeling,” adds Lawson. 

“After that, we had no choice but to make the pitstop but unfortunately, we got a penalty and lost a huge amount of time during it. 

“I think once we got clean air during the second half of the race and then driving on the intermediate tyres at the end, my pace wasn’t so bad. 

“There’s some work to do, but I’m just happy to have gotten through the race, experiencing different conditions and scenarios, to be able to take them forward.”

Guillaume Dezoteux, AlphaTauri’s head of vehicle performance, was full of praise for Lawson’s first foray into F1.

“He did a very good job today, learning about the car and adapting to the conditions, which were constantly evolving. He made no mistakes and was able to build up the pace on dry tyres, which he was driving on for the first time in our car.”

Lawson is due to retain the drive for the Italian Grand Prix at Monza on September 4 (NZ time) as Ricciardo recovers from a broken hand he sustained in an accident during practice at Zandvoort.