New Purple Bull driver Liam Lawson has insisted he was not “attempting to set an instance” together with his laborious racing throughout his six-round marketing campaign in System 1 final 12 months.
The Kiwi changed Daniel Ricciardo at RB [now known as Racing Bulls] forward of the final two triple-headers of the 2024 season, as Purple Bull was eager to judge him with a view to selling him to the principle staff – and ultimately did so.
In his first two grands prix again since his F1 debut in 2023 – then additionally standing in for Ricciardo, who had fractured his hand – Lawson made waves together with his uncompromising racing, drawing the ire of Fernando Alonso on the Circuit of the Americas and Sergio Perez in Mexico.
Each veterans felt Lawson was driving too aggressively, notably together with his strong defensive strikes. Alonso known as the teenager an “fool” over staff radio whereas Perez instructed media that Lawson wanted to be “extra humble”.
Nonetheless, the RB driver was not disciplined by the stewards.
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Requested by Motorsport.com in an end-of-season interview whether or not he was striving to put down markers and present he’s no pushover, Lawson replied: “No, it isn’t like… I am not attempting to set an instance or something like that.
“I really feel like I am racing all people the identical means, I am not racing anyone any in another way.
“I’ve a really brief window right here in the intervening time, so it is crucial [to prove myself], however I am not attempting to set an instance, or set, like, a – I do not know what the phrase is. Show a degree? I am not likely attempting to do this, no.”
Liam Lawson, RB F1 Staff VCARB 01, Sergio Perez, Purple Bull Racing RB20
Picture by: Purple Bull Content material Pool
Lawson took ninth place on his F1 return at the USA Grand Prix, following his elbows-out battles with Alonso.
“There is a little bit of aid with that,” the New Zealander admitted. “Clearly all of us have self-belief, all of us consider in our capability, however when you have not pushed for a very long time, it is laborious to know precisely the place you are going to be. As a lot as you anticipate otherwise you need to ship, you simply do not know till you are driving the automobile.
“It was good to start out like that, and clearly from there it gave me good confidence going ahead.”
Talking earlier than he was introduced as Max Verstappen’s team-mate for the 2025 season, Lawson described his interim efficiency as “a few robust races and a few not robust races” and vowed to be taught from the errors made within the latter.
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On this article
Ben Vinel
System 1
Liam Lawson
Purple Bull Racing
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