Helmut Marko gives his verdict on Liam Lawson’s F1 debut at the CHAOTIC Dutch GP

Liam Lawson did a pretty good job during the ever changing condition of the Dutch GP.

Helmut Marko gives his verdict on Liam Lawson’s F1 debut at the CHAOTIC Dutch GP

Helmut Marko and Liam Lawson (Credits: Imago)

The AlphaTauri F1 team had quite a three-day outing at last week’s race at the Zandvoort F1 circuit. Daniel Ricciardo got sidelined after FP2, and the mantle of driving his car was given to rookie driver Liam Lawson, who, according to Helmut Marko, did a decent job at the rain-drenched Dutch GP.

The race at the Zandvoort F1 circuit was the first event of the ongoing second leg of the 2023 F1 season, with Daniel Ricciardo determined to hit the ground running. However, calamity struck, and he was sidelined, but the biggest of shocks came to Liam Lawson, who, even in his wildest imaginations, didn’t think that he would get the chance to drive the AT04 this year.

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However, while the New Zealander was fast-tracked into Ricciardo’s AlphaTauri seat, he did pretty well with him being a rookie. Helmut Marko was keeping close tabs on his exploits during the Dutch GP, and after the event, he told Motorsports.com, “He did very well. I’m happy with what he showed. His lap times in the race were competitive.”

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The 80-year-old veteran of the sport has made it clear that he is extremely pleased with how well Liam Lawson was able to handle himself against the seasoned pros of the pinnacle of motor racing. Marko ardently believes Lawson could not have done anything more in his first-ever F1 outing.

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Liam Lawson ended the Dutch GP ahead of Yuki Tsunoda

Liam Lawson (Credits: Planet F1)
Liam Lawson (Credits: Planet F1)

While Helmut Marko has showered immense praise on Liam Lawson for his Dutch GP exploits, the latter fully deserves it, considering how shaky he looked in the cockpit of the AT04 during the FP3 session of the event. He had quite a few unsettling moments that caught the eyes of several people in the F1 paddock.

However, when it came to the main race that was run under constantly changing weather conditions, Lawson was on top of his game as he made very few errors during the 72-lap event. He performed beyond expectations and was also somehow able to bring his car across the chequered flag ahead of his teammate, Yuki Tsunoda.

Liam Lawson ended his Dutch GP exploits in a respectable P13 whereas Tsunoda could only manage a P15 finish. Finishing ahead of the Japanese driver will give Lawson a lot of confidence heading into his next test at this week’s event at the famous Autodromo Nazionale Monza F1 circuit.

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