Red Bull's Christian Horner has confirmed that F1 returnee Liam Lawson will take a grid penalty for Saturday's Sprint event at the US Grand Prix.
The grid demotion is simply the result of Lawson inheriting the power unit elements already used by Daniel Ricciardo, his predecessor at Visa Cash App RB.
It's unclear which fresh RB components have been added to Lawson's inventory or the extent of his grid drop, but Horner believes the penalty will provide the young gun with a low-key return to the F1 grid.
"He will be taking an engine penalty anyway," Horner confirmed. "He's got a bit of a soft landing, or a soft re-entry."
While the penalty may offer some respite from the immediate pressure, Horner made it clear that Lawson will still be expected to perform at a high level.
His performances will be closely compared to those of his teammate, Yuki Tsunoda, as Red Bull assesses their plans for the 2025 season.
"Of course, he is going to be gauged against his team-mate,” said the Briton. “He was very quick against him last year. I think Yuki has stepped it up a gear again this year.
“It is just going to be fascinating to see how quickly he adapts, how quickly he gets on with it."
In 2023, Lawson finished ahead of Tsunoda in two of the three races where both drivers finished, highlighting their potential. However, Tsunoda has grown into a more experienced and consistent driver, having now completed four seasons in F1.
"We know that Yuki is a very, very fast driver," Horner remarked. "He can definitely extract a lap and as he has matured—because he is not a rookie anymore, he is in his fourth season of Grand Prix racing—he has got a lot of experience under his belt now."
Horner also emphasized the importance of using Tsunoda as a benchmark to assess Lawson's performance over the next few races.
"Taking him as the data point, we saw where Daniel compared to Yuki, [so] it will just be very interesting to see how Liam performs over the remaining six races," he added.
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Although Lawson's return to the grid will be marked by a challenging start in Austin, Horner remains optimistic about the young driver's adaptability and resilience, although he admitted that “it's difficult to say” when asked how he expects the Kiwi to perform.
"Last year, Liam was quick from the outset,” he said. “He is a tough racer and he is very adaptable. Certainly, the testing that he has done for us in the Red Bull Racing car this year has been very encouraging. "
With a competitive teammate like Tsunoda and the added pressure of an engine penalty, Lawson's performance in the United States Grand Prix will be closely watched by fans and experts alike.
His ability to adapt and deliver results will be crucial for his future in Formula 1.
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