Liam Lawson admitted it will be “a mountain to climb” to be on the pace from the off when he rejoins the Formula 1 grid mid-season in Austin.
Lawson has been drafted in to replace Daniel Ricciardo at VCARB for the final six races of 2024 as he looks to impress and show his credentials for 2025, either at Red Bull’s sister team or even potentially for the ‘senior’ drive alongside Max Verstappen.
Liam Lawson set for ‘big jump’ upon Formula 1 return in Austin
Lawson had been in the role of reserve driver for both Red Bull and VCARB this season after an impressive five-race stint in the place of Ricciardo last year, while the Australian was injured.
Stepping up to a race drive for the final part of the season, the New Zealander will have a chance to state his claim for a 2025 seat within the Red Bull stable, but the first part of that will come at a circuit on which he has never driven before.
On top of that, Lawson will be jumping into the cockpit on a Sprint weekend, meaning he will only have one hour of practice instead of the usual three in which to get his eye in around the Circuit of The Americas – though a grid penalty will already be coming his way.
When asked on Newstalk ZB if his simulator work with Red Bull will have helped with his step up, Lawson responded: “I think yes, potentially, but it’s always a big jump.
“It’s going to be tough to jump in. Austin I haven’t done before, either, so even though I’ve done plenty of sim work it’s going to be a big challenge.
What next for Liam Lawson as he returns to the Formula 1 grid?
👉 Liam Lawson reveals Red Bull performance expectations as promotion possibility addressed
👉 All the mid-season driver swaps Red Bull have made in their F1 history
“I would say I’m better prepared – definitely more prepared this year than I was last year.
“At the same time, it’s slightly later in the season this year, and as I said, these guys have done three quarters of a season.
“Obviously I’ve been training like crazy all year to try and be ready for something like this, but even the few tests that I’ve done this year, there’s nothing like being race fit and it’s going to be challenging in Austin.
“[I only have experience at] the ones that I did last year, so the ones I haven’t done are Austin, Vegas, Brazil…
“Fortunately I’ve done a free practice session in Mexico once. It’s still going to be challenging, but at least I’ve driven the track.
“Same with Abu Dhabi, I’ve driven it in F1, I did a free practice session there in the Red Bull. It will just be those tracks that I haven’t done.
“The tough thing about Austin is it’s a Sprint weekend, so it’ll be one practice session and then straight into Sprint quali.
“Obviously, I’m going to have to try and learn as much as I can in one session and go into qualifying.”
With this move coming at a time that Lawson will hope represents a full-time step up to Formula 1, he also wanted to acknowledge those who have been by his side throughout his time moving up the motorsport ladder.
“To everybody who’s stuck with me for all the years leading up to this, thank you,” he said.
“Obviously it’s a huge journey and, for me, this is what I’ve dreamed of doing since I was a kid.
“Obviously now we have another mountain to climb going into the season and hopefully driving next year as well. Hopefully this is the start of F1 for me, but I just want to say thank you to everybody, because I appreciate it a lot.”
Read next: How a storm-hit race at COTA almost killed the US Grand Prix