Beyond the hubris: Is Liam Lawson the next breakout F1 talent?

Liam Lawson is one name that has gained a lot of support in F1. The young New Zealander debuted this season at the 2023 F1 Dutch GP. In all fairness, he wasn't expected to do that.

If it wasn't for the unfortunate and untimely injury of Daniel Ricciardo in Free Practice of the F1 Dutch GP, Lawson would not have even got a chance.

Having said that, he got the chance that he was looking for and did not waste it. The young driver impressed in each and every race to make a compelling case for keeping him in the sport.

Unfortunately, Red Bull has not given him the seat for the next season. It will be Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda driving the AlphaTauri next season while Liam Lawson will serve as the reserve driver.

What has been interesting, however, is to see the reaction from the fans that feel for the young driver and the lack of opportunity for 2024. There have been calls for Lawson to replace Ricciardo, Tsunoda, and even Logan Sargeant at Williams.

All of this has revealed one important thing - Liam Lawson has garnered a lot of support from the fans as many feel he is a talent that's worth holding on to.

However, in all of this hubris, there's one question that has not been answered, yet. How good is he? Is he the next breakout talent in F1? Let's try to answer these questions by taking a look at his journey to F1.

How good is Liam Lawson?

Formula 3

Liam Lawson graduated to Formula 3 in 2019. In his first season in the series, he finished at the 11th spot in the standings. Some of the more notable names in the series included Ferrari junior Robert Shwartzmann, who won the title, and Yuki Tsunoda, who finished 9th.

In his second season in the series in 2020, Lawson showed marked improvement as he won three races, secured a pole position, and finished the year 5th in the standings.

Some of the more noted names that season included Oscar Piastri, who won the title in his first attempt, Logan Sargeant, who finished third, and current F2 championship leader Theo Pourchaire, who came second.

Formula 2 (And DTM)

Liam Lawson moved to Formula 2 in 2021 and he kicked off his campaign in style by winning his very first race in the series. The rest of the season would not turn out as well for Lawson as he will finish the year ninth in the championship with just one win and a pole position.

Some of the notable names in this series included Oscar Piastri (winner), Zhou Guanyu (P3), and Theo Pourchaire (P5).

The year was a bittersweet one for him, however, as he executed a very impressive DTM campaign alongside his F2 campaign. He almost won the title but a crash in the last race dashed all hopes.

In 2022, Liam Lawson did his second season in F2 and once again showed marked improvement. He won four races in the season and will finish the championship in P3. The championship was won by Felipe Drugovich with Theo Pourchaire coming home in second.

Super Formula and Formula 1

After his stint in F2, Lawson moved on to Super Formula for 2023 and has once again impressed. Winning his very first race in the series, the Kiwi is a contender for the title with him second in the championship right now.

In 2023, Lawson has also made his debut in F1. Even though the opportunity came out of the blue and there was no prior intimation, the young driver has done a very impressive job.

In the limited opportunities that he's got, he has acquitted himself well and never looked out of place. The crowning moment has to be beating Yuki Tsunoda in his home race in Suzuka.

Conclusion

As we've gone through the entire career of Liam Lawson, it does throw a light on the fact that the driver has faced some very impressive competition in his junior career. In all of those categories, he's won races and has challenged for the title in some of them.

After going through his career, there are two questions that need answering. The first is whether he deserves a seat in F1 and the second is whether he is the next big talent in the sport.

To answer the first question, yes, he deserves a seat in F1 and the reason behind it has been an impressive junior career. Lawson has shown that he has ability which he utilises fully from behind the wheel.

Importantly, he has partaken in four races in Formula 1 and not looked out of place. A driver like this will bring value to the grid and deserves a proper shot to prove himself.

Now, to answer the second question, at least for now, he's not shown an ability to be the next big talent in F1. Throughout his junior career, what we can see quite clearly is that the driver has been impressive. But he's quite convincingly lost out to the likes of Oscar Piastri and Theo Pourchaire.

That does not mean that he cannot be an asset to a team, it just means that if we're looking at standout talents in F1, Lawson is not one of them.

This is precisely why Red Bull has not pulled the trigger on Yuki Tsunoda or Daniel Ricciardo for Liam Lawson. While the team is impressed by what he has done, Lawson is not viewed as the next big thing that the Austrian team cannot afford to lose.

Hence, to answer the question, Lawson deserves a seat in F1, but he might not be the next big breakout talent on the grid.