Helmut Marko sets clear Liam Lawson goal with Tsunoda to play key role

Liam Lawson is in at VCARB for the rest of F1 2024, his challenge to deliver a “Formula 1 worthy performance” with Yuki Tsunoda the measuring stick.

“And then we will see,” says Red Bull senior advisor Helmut Marko.

Yuki Tsunoda the F1 benchmark for Liam Lawson

Red Bull opted to ditch eight-time F1 race winner Daniel Ricciardo from their VCARB line-up after the Singapore Grand Prix, as Lawson – who impressed in his five-race spell last season replacing an injured Ricciardo – gets his opportunity to push for an F1 2025 seat, with openings at VCARB and the main Red Bull team still possible if Sergio Perez underwhelms.

And Lawson goes into this six-round audition armed with clear orders from Marko.

“Liam Lawson can now contest the last six rounds of the World Championship for the Racing Bulls team, we will evaluate how he compares to Yuki Tsunoda and then we will see,” Marko wrote in his column for Speedweek.

“He has to deliver a Formula 1 worthy performance, as he has already done in his previous GP appearances.

“We have other strong juniors in the junior squad, such as Ayumu Iwasa and Isack Hadjar. We will use them in the rookie sprint, which will be held on the junior test day after the season finale in Abu Dhabi. Then we’ll see what happens next.

“The GP appearances of Oliver Bearman and especially Franco Colapinto have shown that the youngsters are ready for the step up and that the old philosophy of some team bosses that only drivers with three or four years’ experience can be promoted to a top team is outdated. Mercedes has now proven this with its driver decision, just as Red Bull Racing has done several times in the past.

“So you can rely on youth. It’s a certain risk, but it’s manageable and worth it. You have to give the youngsters a chance to prove themselves in a GP car after they have climbed the junior ladder.”

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Lawson will mark his F1 return at the United States Grand Prix, though already faces an uphill battle with the Kiwi set to take a 10-place engine grid drop as Lawson inherits Ricciardo’s components used in F1 2024.

However, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner believes this can serve as a “soft landing” for the 22-year-old back in F1.

“In Austin, he’ll be taking an engine penalty anyway, so he’s got a bit of a soft landing or soft re-entry,” said Horner on the F1 Nation podcast.

“But of course he’s going to be gauged against his team-mate.

“He was very quick against him last year, I think Yuki stepped it up a gear again this year, so it’s just going to be fascinating to see how quickly he adapts, how quickly he gets on with it.”

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