Liam Lawson will finally be given his chance in a Formula 1 seat for the remainder of the 2024 season.
The Kiwi driver has been confirmed as the replacement for Daniel Ricciardo at Visa Cash App RB for the final six races of the season, giving him an opportunity to prove himself for a full-time seat in 2025.
Lawson, who has been part of the Red Bull junior team since 2019, finished third in the Formula 2 Championship in 2022 with Carlin, before moving on to Super Formula the following year.
His campaign would be briefly interrupted as he was drafted in to replace Ricciardo at AlphaTauri for five races after the Aussie broke his wrist at Zandvoort. In his short stint, Lawson put in some standout performances, especially in Singapore where he scored his first F1 points with ninth.
Despite these encouraging displays, the team retained Ricciardo for 2024, leaving Lawson on the sidelines as Red Bull’s reserve driver. Now, the 22-year-old will be given another chance in F1.
Richard Verschoor wishes Liam Lawson ‘good luck’ with his Formula 1 seat
Several drivers across all walks of motorsport have been quick to show messages of support to Ricciardo for a fantastic F1 career, as well as congratulating Lawson for his promotion to a proper race seat.
Among those drivers was current F2 driver Richard Verschoor, who shared a message to Lawson on his Instagram story: “Good luck mate,” followed by a flexing muscle emoji.
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Verschoor competed against Lawson in F2 in 2021 and 2022 before the latter moved over to Super Formula in 2023.
Lawson finished 2021 in ninth with Hitech Grand Prix, while Verschoor finished 47 points behind in 11th. While the Kiwi driver pushed on and challenged for the title in 2022 – ultimately finishing third – the Dutchman struggled for consistency and finished 12th.
Richard Verschoor grabbed his first win of the 2024 Formula 2 season in Baku
As Lawson finally gets his opportunity in F1, Verschoor is competing in his fourth consecutive season in F2.
The Dutchman has won a race in every season he has raced in the category, but he found his 2024 victory difficult to come by.
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Verschoor had won the Sprint Races in Saudi Arabia and Hungary, but was disqualified from both after the events. It was third time lucky for the 23-year-old as he took victory in the Feature Race in Baku.
Verschoor is currently 10th in the drivers’ standings with two rounds to go in Qatar and Abu Dhabi.