Liam Lawson will start the United States Grand Prix next month with an unfortunate handicap with VCARB set to take a new power unit, giving him a 10-place grid penalty.
The New Zealander’s return to the F1 grid was confirmed on Thursday with Daniel Ricciardo making way for the final six races of the 2024 campaign. Lawson is then expected to return full-time in 2025.
The 22-year-old will face an uphill battle when he takes to the grid in Austin in October. “The first [race], I think, won’t be relevant because he has an engine penalty,” Helmut Marko told Autosport. “10 places in the sprint race, so that doesn’t exactly make life easier in Austin.”
Lawson has been forced to wait for his chance to shine. The Hastings-born racer impressed in his five-race stint deputising for Ricciardo in 2023 and many expected him to drive full-time for VCARB in 2024, but he was resigned to a test and reserve role instead. Now, he is back in the spotlight.
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