Liam Lawson credits NASCAR-bound Supercars champion Shane Van Gisbergan for his swift adaptation to F1

Lawson gained seven positions in the Dutch Grand Prix as he finished P13.

Liam Lawson credits NASCAR-bound Supercars champion Shane Van Gisbergan for his swift adaptation to F1

Liam Lawson and Shane Van Gisbergan (Images via IMAGO)

Liam Lawson has taken part in just two races in Formula One but he is already impressing everyone on the grid. A P13 finish on his debut in the Dutch GP under very harsh weather conditions. Later, he also made an impressive P11 finish in Italy, coming in ahead of his teammate Yuki Tsunoda in both races. Lawson’s immediate acclimatization to the sport is truly striking as the rookie credits three-time Supercars champion Shane Van Gisbergan for this feat.

Van Gisbergan raced in various forms of motorsports like Supercars, GT Racing, and NASCAR. So, he is well versed in the different formats and was only the seventh driver to have won his debut NASCAR Cup Series race in Chicago this year. Lawson and Van Gisbergan share a close friendship since they both hail from New Zealand.

YouTube video

Lawson claimed that Van Gisbergan’s adaptability to various types of machinery and racing environments has guided him to make his place in F1 so quickly. “He [Van Gisbergan] does everything and he’s extremely good at adapting to different things, so I think it helps… we all stay quite connected and speak with each other and that’s quite cool to have those relationships,” said Lawson, as per Motorsport Week.

FS Video

As the situation stands, Daniel Ricciardo will not be available until the Qatar Grand Prix at the earliest. This gives Lawson plenty of time to become a solid contender for the second AlphaTauri seat in 2024. Currently, the Kiwi competes full-time in the Japanese Super Formula Championship where he currently stands in the second position.

Also read: Helmut Marko admits winning all the races in 2023 is ‘becoming a goal’ for Red Bull

Christian Horner claims Liam Lawson’s name for the AlphaTauri seat in 2024 is on the table

Liam Lawson
Liam Lawson (Credits: The Checkered Flag)

Liam Lawson made an impressive debut for AlphaTauri in the Dutch Grand Prix. It was amid an already turbulent period for the team regarding their 2024 lineup. Earlier thought that Daniel Ricciardo would continue with AlphaTauri next year before Sergio Perez’s contract with Red Bull runs out in 2025. But Ricciardo’s sudden injury at Zandvoort has completely changed the scenario.

Lawson had just one practice session to get himself on the track. The session was also affected by rain. But his impressive P13 finish in such conditions has prompted Red Bull chief Christian Horner to claim that if consistent, he could pave his way to F1 sooner than he might have thought.

“We’re following his progress very closely and, you know, Daniel’s misfortune was Liam’s good fortune. So you know, it’s down to him to make the best use of it,” said Horner.

In case you missed: