Uphill comeback for Liam Lawson who will be forced to start behind everyone else on Sunday. A weekend that promises to be complicated, but the conformation of the COTA will allow the young New Zealander to attempt a comeback by overtaking. Perhaps this is the moment for Lawson to make the difference, because the comparison with Tsunoda cannot wait.
Lawson to fit fifth engine: penalty long predicted
A different seasonal debut for Liam Lawson compared to last year. In fact, in the 2023 season the promising driver from the Red Bull school had found himself catapulted hastily behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car. Instead, this time, Lawson was able to prepare more calmly. The handover with Daniel Ricciardo had already been decided in Baku, as per Lawson declared. In addition, the New Zealander was able to take advantage of the three-week break between the Singapore GP and the United States GP in Texas. A moment of calm, before the battles he will have to face on the track, especially the one against his teammate: Yuki tsunoda.
Japanese will be the main antagonist to beat for Lawson. Not only because in Formula 1 the first comparison is always with your teammate. This time the second driver's position is up for grabs in Red Bull. In six races Lawson and Tsunoda will therefore have to prevail over each other, in order to convince Horner and, above all, Helmut Marko. The latter, a week ago, had announced a sure grid penalty for the new Racing Bulls driver, who today, as expected, was forced to mount the fifth power unit on his new car, thus forcing him starting from the bottom Sunday.
Penalty unavoidable: Lawson ready to make a difference already?
Tsnudo, in the internal battle with Lawson, starts with an advantage. First of all because this year he seems to have made a significant leap in quality. In fact, as long as the car allowed him, the young Japanese driver at the beginning of the season managed to finish the races in the top ten several times. Furthermore, as if that were not enough, Austin will be a weekend with Sprint Race. This means that in addition to the free practice session just held, there will be no other moments for the rookie Lawson to understand how to interpret the car on the treacherous layout of the COTA. To this, as mentioned, we must add the penalty received for having mounted a completely new engine.
The odds, at least for this American weekend, are leaning towards Tsunoda. Even Marko himself, announcing Lawson's penalty, said he was not very worried about the New Zealand driver's debut race: "I don't think the first race will be relevant for him., because he will have a penalty due to the engine", I had declared the Austrian manager on the microphones of Motorsport total. No one expects a good result, but for this very reason Lawson could use the opportunity to his advantage. Racing Bulls' competitiveness is on a downward slope, consequently Tsnuoda probably won't be able to rank very high. With a good start and taking advantage of the numerous overtaking points that COTA offers, Lawson could already start to assert himself on his teammate on Sunday.
Nothing is written, nothing should be taken for granted. A rule to always keep in mind in a sport like Formula 1, especially when talking about drivers from the Red Bull youth system. Lawson, although disadvantaged, he could have the chance to impress everyone by far already from his debut. A hypothesis to keep in mind, especially for enthusiasts who try their hand at Fantasy F1 di Yaw ClubWho knows, maybe Lawson could be a low-cost move that can unlock the Texan weekend in their favor, despite the penalty he will have to serve on Sunday.
Sources: formulapassion.com