Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has confirmed that Racing Bulls (RB) returnee Liam Lawson will be hit with a grid penalty ahead of this month’s United States Grand Prix, Afrosport reports.
The 22-year-old New Zealander replaced Daniel Ricciardo after the Australian was dropped for the final six races of the season.
Lawson was impressive in the former RB iteration AlphaTauri last season when he stood in for injured Ricciardo in five races.
Before his departure, Ricciardo had exceeded his engine allocation for the season, meaning Lawson will face a minimum 10-place grid penalty in Austin.
“In Austin, he’ll be taking an engine penalty there anyway,” Horner told the F1 Nation podcast. “So he’s got a bit of a soft landing, or soft re-entry.
“But of course he’s going to be gauged against his teammate.
“He was very quick against him last year, I think Yuki stepped it up a gear again this year so it’s going to be fascinating to see how quickly he adapts, how quickly he gets on with it.”
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Lawson is being assessed for a potential 2025 drive with RB and a possibly Red Bull as well should Sergio Perez continue to underperform.
