Liam Lawson returns to the F1 grid at the US Grand Prix with a chance to impress for 2025

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The grin is gone from the Formula 1 grid. In its place, a Kiwi looking to make the most of another chance to impress.

With Daniel Ricciardo and his toothy smile dumped out of RB due to a lack of results, New Zealand driver Liam Lawson starts a six-race sprint to the end of the season at the United States Grand Prix in Texas with the goal of proving he's worthy of a full-time seat in 2025.

And not just with RB. There's also the potential of an opening on the big Red Bull team alongside three-time champion Max Verstappen, if it decides to jettison struggling Mexican driver Sergio Perez.

The goal, Lawson said Thursday, is to start scoring points as quickly as possible in a race weekend that includes the first Saturday sprint race since Austria in June.

“That's what the team is going to judge me on, how I perform. And the best way to do that is score points, and also for the team fighting for (sixth place) in the championship,” Lawson said.

Ricciardo was one of the most popular and likeable drivers in F1 and he usually hammed his way through the Austin weekend, riding horses in the paddock, wearing cowboy hats, giving interviews in exaggerated Western accents or wearing jerseys for the University of Texas Longhorns.

The eight-time race winner from Australia delivered laughs but not results since joining the team midway through the 2023 season. Ricciardo had finished in the points only three times in his last 18 races.

The dumping of Ricciardo gives Lawson a sort of second tryout. He raced five times last season for RB — then called AlphaTauri — when Ricciardo had a broken hand, but then was sidelined when Ricciardo returned.

Lawson had been sitting in the paddock this season as a Red Bull reserve driver until getting the new call up. Formula 1 returns this week from a four-week break. The final six races will come in just eight weeks.

“It's a difficult time to come into the season ... Just trying to be as ready as possible," Lawson said.

Red Bull Racing could have multiple seat options for 2025.

Until he's dethroned, Verstappen remains the standard bearer in F1. But teammate Sergio Perez has underperformed for the second consecutive year, and his woeful season has been a huge reason Red Bull is now trailing McLaren in the constructors championship.

The poor results have left Perez facing constant speculation that he could be replaced despite signing a contract extension in June through 2026.

That means it's not just Lawson with a chance to impress. His RB teammate, Japan's Yuki Tsunoda, will likely see the home stretch of the 2024 season as his own chance to shine.

The Lawson-Tsunoda battle within the RB garage will be closely watched. Lawson beat Tsunoda twice last season in the three races both cars finished.

“Last year, Liam was quick from the outset,” Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said on Formula 1's “F1 Nation” podcast. "He’s a tough racer and he’s very adaptable ... We know that Yuki is a very, very fast driver."

Lawson will likely start Sunday's race near the back because of a significant grid penalty for the number of engines already used for Ricciardo. Lawson must the take penalties because they are assigned to the car, not the driver.

Still, Lawson said he's ready to go against Tsunoda and the field.

“Yuki's done a very good job the last couple of years, especially this year,” Lawson said. “He's the benchmark they obviously want to compare against, he's the only one in the same car as me. I'll be directly compared with him. The expectation from (the team) is to compete alongside him.”

Points change

Formula 1 will drop the championship point awarded to the driver with the fastest lap next season. The change was announced Thursday by the FIA, the sport's governing body.

The fastest lap point was introduced in 2019 and a driver must finish in the top 10 to earn it.

The bonus point was notable at the previous race in Singapore when Ricciardo snatched it from McLaren's Lando Norris in the final laps. The lost point could prove critical as Norris chases Verstappen in a tight driver's championship.

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Jim Vertuno, The Associated Press