Andrew Alderson: Liam Lawson finishes just outside points as Max Verstappen, Red Bull set new win records

Liam Lawson’s Formula One stocks continue to rise. 

After impressing in his debut last weekend, the 21-year-old Kiwi posted a new season’s best result for the second AlphaTauri car with an 11th-placed finish in the Italian Grand Prix. 

In just two races since replacing the injured Daniel Ricciardo, Lawson has come away with better results than the Aussie (two races) and teammate Nyck de Vries (10 races), proving he is ready for the top level of the sport, while he equalled the best qualifying performance of the second AlphaTauri car this season by putting it 12th on the grid at Monza. 

After the race, Red Bull team boss Christian Horner confirmed Ricciardo (broken arm) is unlikely to return for the Singapore Grand Prix or the following week in Japan, meaning another few races for the Kiwi. 

“Singapore, I don’t think there’s any chance he’ll be ready for then. It would be optimistic for Japan,” said Horner of Ricciardo. 

There was a delay of about 20 minutes following the formation lap at Monza, as Lawson’s AlphaTauri teammate Yuki Tsunoda, who was due to start 11th on the grid - was forced to withdraw on the formation lap due to a power unit failure, with smoke billowing up from his steering wheel. 

Once Tsunoda’s car had been cleared, pole driver Carlos Sainz led the group on a second formation lap in his Ferrari, before racing finally began. 

Whether it was due to the delay or the initial strategy, Lawson was among the minority of drivers to take a two pit stop approach to the 51-lap race, switching from medium to hard tyres early, before switching back to mediums late in the race in the hopes of finding some late pace. 

Lawson drove a clean race, spending most of it just outside the top 10 and was ultimately left hoping for an error from a driver ahead of him if he was to secure points. It wasn’t to be, but he fought until the end, missing out on his first points by one position. 

AlphaTauri are yet to confirm their driver lineup for 2024 and, with Ricciardo only with the team on loan from Red Bull until the end of this season, the young Kiwi has certainly given the powers that be plenty to consider as he looks for a fulltime opportunity next year and could get two more chances to impress at Singapore and Japan. 

The race was won by Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who became the first driver to win 10th straight grand prix races. It also set a new team record, with Red Bull having won the last 15 consecutive GPs. Verstappen has won 12 of the 14 races this season, with his teammate Sergio Perez winning the other two. The last time a non-Red Bull car won a race was in Brazil last November, where Mercedes’ Geroge Russell stood atop the podium. 

Perez finished second in Italy, with Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz beating out teammate Charles Leclerc for the last spot on the podium. 

- by Christopher Reive, NZ Herald

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