Liam Lawson praises Fernando Alonso’s race craft, declares he is eager to ‘fight against these drivers’

Liam Lawson is impressed by Alonso’s awareness always to put the car in the right place.

Liam Lawson praises Fernando Alonso’s race craft, declares he is eager to ‘fight against these drivers’

Liam Lawson and Fernando Alonso (Via IMAGO)

Liam Lawson drove his first races in Formula 1 for Scuderia Alpha Tauri, replacing the injured Daniel Ricciardo after a wrist injury at Zandvoort, and he surprised many by outperforming Yuki Tsunoda three out of the four times both drivers finished a race, even scoring points in his third race with the team. Racing in F1 helped him experience racing some of the all-time greats of the sport, including Fernando Alonso, and the Kiwi racer was beyond impressed.

Alonso and Lawson drove alongside each other in the Free Practice at Monza, and the New Zealander (in his maiden session in F1). he was taken aback by Alonso’s brilliance at adapting to how the car drives. Alonso also talked to Lawson off-track at the Dutch GP, giving him a warm welcome to Formula One. The 42-year-old is the most experienced athlete on the grid and holds an impressive record for most race finishes.

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In Monza Free Practice, we were wheel to wheel and with drivers like that, with so much experience, they always seem to put the car in the right place
…what I want most is to fight against these drivers on the track

Lawson said, as reported by soymotor.com

Liam Lawson insisted that he wants to fight Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso on track, as he grew up watching them race as a child. After Ricciardo’s return to the grid in Austin, Lawson has now returned his focus to the Super Formula Championship in Japan, where he currently stands P2 in the championship.

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Daniel Ricciardo helped Liam Lawson get ready for F1 despite the threat to his seat

After a surprise return to Formula 1 after Alpha Tauri fired Nyck De Vries, Daniel Ricciardo did not get to drive his first race back. Ricciardo broke his hand during the practice session for the Dutch Grand Prix and was replaced by Lawson for five races during his recovery.

Yuki Tsunoda, Liam Lawson and Daniel Ricciardo (Via IMAGO)
Yuki Tsunoda, Liam Lawson and Daniel Ricciardo (Via IMAGO)

The role was Lawson’s breakthrough moment in his career, and he did not fail to impress, scoring 2 points and outperforming his teammate thrice. Lawson was instantly a danger to Ricciardo’s Alpha Tauri seat in 2024. However, the New Zealander revealed that Ricciardo helped him before his first race and helped Lawson prepare for his first race.

“Daniel [Ricciardo] helped me a lot in Zandvoort before he had to undergo his operation. I spoke to him on Friday evening and that was very nice.”

Lawson as reported by thesportsrush.com

Daniel Ricciardo returned for the United States Grand Prix and was disappointed in his performance, managing only 17th before disqualifications promoted him to 15th. He currently holds the 2024 seat in Alpha Tauri and plans to challenge for the Red Bull seat currently held by Sergio Perez. However, he could face competition from Lawson in 2025 if he fails to beat teammate Tsunoda next year.

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