Liam Lawson has to step aside for the first practice for the Mexico Grand Prix.
Photo: IAN BUNDEY / MPS AGENCY © / PHOTOSPORT
New Zealand motor racing star Liam Lawson has had to step aside for a junior driver at a practice session for the Mexico Grand Prix this weekend.
Under Formula 1 policy, every full-time driver has to stand down for two practice sessions during the racing season.
Japanese driver Ayumu Iwasa will replace Lawson at the first practice session at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City on Saturday morning (NZT).
Iwasa, who sits third in Japan’s Super Formula series, is one of nine rookie drivers who will get a chance to show their driving skills during the practice sessions in Mexico.
It will be his fourth free practice appearance and his second this year, after having a drive for Red Bull in Bahrain.
While it is standard procedure for drivers to stand down for rookies, it is hardly ideal timing for Lawson, with Red Bull expected to make their decisions after Mexico on who will drive for their main team and development partner Racing Bulls for next year.
The New Zealander sits at 14th on the standings on 30 points, four positions behind Racing Bulls teammate Isack Hadjar, who has 39 points, while Red Bull driver Yuki Tsunoda, who replaced Lawson in the senior team early in the season, is in 16th place on 28 points.
Lawson had another frustrating experience in the US Grand Prix on Monday, finishing just out of the points in 11th place in the race won by defending world champion, Red Bulls’ Max Verstappen.
It has been widely speculated that Frenchman Hadjar will be promoted to join four-times world champion Max Verstappen in the Red Bull team and that Lawson and Tsunoda are fighting for one of the Racing Bulls positions, with the other going to a newcomer.
Liam Lawson, left, with Isack Hadjar.
Photo: PHOTOSPORT
That could be Arvid Lindblad, who has been a full member of the Red Bull junior team since the 2022 season and has had two wins in the Formula 2 championship this year.
Red Bull successfully sought a dispensation for Lindblad to be granted a super-licence earlier this season, even though he didn’t turn 18 until August. The licence enables him to drive in Formula 1 events.
Lindblad will take Verstappen’s place in the second practice session in Mexico City.
Lawson decision expected after Mexico GP
Red Bull motorsport adviser Helmut Marko said a week ago that decision would be made after the Mexico race.
He indicated the Anglo-Swede Lindblad was ready to step up.
“Generally speaking, yes. He’s (Lindblad) just younger than Hadjar, and we’ve seen in the past that age plays a role in Formula 1,” Marko told Kleine Zeitung.
“But, generally speaking, he’s another one of our hopes.”
Lawson told reporters this week he hadn’t been given a clear timeline for the decision.
“He (Marko) expects results, points from us, and that’s about it.”
He said academy prospects are exposed to intense scrutiny during their junior careers and that prepares them for F1 careers.
“It’s my entire career in Formula 1 so far. Not that it’s been very long, but that’s how it’s been,” he said.
“We’re always on a performance-based programme, and it’s designed to put us under pressure. So it’s nothing new, honestly.”
Mexico is a popular venue for teams to give rookie drivers their practice drives, with Red Bull, Racing Bulls, McLaren, Mercedes, Ferrari, Williams, Haas, Alpine and Aston Martin all doing it. Mexican Indycars star Pato O’Ward will drive for McLaren in one of the practice sessions for the second year in a row in Mexico.
Rookies are defined as drivers who have started in no more than two grands prix.
Lawson said he was looking forward to driving in Mexico in Racing Bulls’ latest release.
“It’s great to be back in Mexico. It’s a very unique race as the high altitude makes the cars very difficult to drive,” he said.
“The air is thin, so we reach very high speeds, but it also increases sliding in the corners due to the low grip. The atmosphere here is always incredible, which is amazing for F1. To be part of the race this weekend among the fans is something I’m very much looking forward to.”
Lawson will also have to give up his spot for a second time in a practice session at one of the remaining four venues after Mexico – São Paulo, Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
Verstappen is making a late bid for the drivers’ championship, sitting third behind the McLaren pair of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris. With five races remaining, Piastri has 346 points, Norris 332 and Verstappen 306.