Red Bull Chief Reveals Reason Behind Liam Lawson Penalty Timing

Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner explains the decision to give Liam Lawson a penalty for a new power unit as he returns to Formula 1 competition.

May 5, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Red Bull team principle Christian Horner sits in the F1 Village before the F1 Miami Grand Prix at Miami International Autodrome. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-Imagn Images / Peter Casey-Imagn Images

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has recently clarified the strategy behind implementing a penalty for Liam Lawson as he returns to competitive racing.

With the forthcoming Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, Lawson is set to take a power unit penalty in his first race after replacing Daniel Ricciardo for the remainder of the 2024 season. According to Horner, this move is a tactical decision, providing Lawson with a "soft landing" in his return to the sport.

Liam Lawson's performance in the 2023 season laid a compelling foundation for his current position in the VCARB lineup. During a stint that spanned five races, Lawson showed flashes of brilliance, scoring points at the Singapore Grand Prix and notably outperforming his teammate Yuki Tsunoda in three of the four comparable races.

The implementation of Lawson's penalty for a new power unit at the Austin Grand Prix is aimed at minimizing the impact on his overall performance potential. Horner discussed this during the F1 Nation podcast, noting:

"Well, Austin, he'll be taking an engine penalty there anyway, so he's got a bit of a soft landing or soft re-entry."

Lawson's direct competition with teammate Yuki Tsunoda will be a focal point over the remaining five races. Although Lawson exhibited superior speed against Tsunoda last year, Horner acknowledged the advancements Tsunoda has made in 2024, pointing out:

"Of course, he's [Lawson] going to be gaged against his team-mate. He was very quick against him last year.

"I think Yuki stepped it up a gear again this year, so it's just gonna be fascinating to see how quickly he adapts, how quickly he gets on with it."

VCARB announced the exit of Daniel Ricciardo after the Singapore Grand Prix. The decision was met with an extensive amount of backlash from fans, mainly for the handling of the Australian driver's departure. Rumors had begun to circulate of his exit ahead of the race weekend at the Marina Bay Street Circuit but the news had not been confirmed, leaving Ricciardo dodging media questions all weekend.

The Red Bull sister team confirmed that Lawson would be taking Ricciardo's place, however, this is currently only until the end of the 2024 season. The 2025 seat alongside Yuki Tsunoda is yet to be confirmed.

Speaking about his upcoming return, Lawson commented, as previously quoted by Sports Illustrated:

"Very excited to say that I'll be driving in the car from Austin.

"It's obviously a massive opportunity, a dream come true for me so, I want to say thank you to the team for this opportunity. I want to say thank you to you guys [the fans] for the support as well. It's a lot of work ahead, but I'm looking forward to getting into it and I'll see you guys in Austin."