F1: High praise for Kiwi Liam Lawson from Max Verstappen

New Zealand driver Liam Lawson has received praise from the best following his Formula One practice drive with Red Bull.

After stepping into the car of superstar driver Max Verstappen for the opening practice session of this weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the 20-year-old development driver made quite the impression on the two-time reigning series champion, who then went on to top the timesheets in the second practice session.

Liam Lawson of New Zealand driving the (36) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB18 on track during practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi at Yas Marina Circuit on November 18, 2022 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images) // Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool

“I’m really happy with how that session went, I think the car came together well. Liam did a really good job in FP1, he was calm and steady which is exactly what we needed,” Verstappen said.

“In FP2 we tried a few things and in the long runs the car was working quite well, so I’m pretty happy with that.”

Lawson went out on hard tires for three push laps, with his best time of 1:28.478 putting him in third. He completed 13 laps in his opening stint, then returned to the track with 15 minutes remaining on a set of soft tires and improved his time, with a 1:27.201, which placed him fifth, the highest finisher of the non-regular drivers.

Lawson said his third F1 drive was most certainly one to remember.

“It was a really cool experience today, it’s the first time I’ve tested for Oracle Red Bull Racing during a Formula One weekend,” he said.

“I was a little bit nervous before the session, but the car is really good, so I felt comfortable straight away.

“We managed to get quite a lot of laps in on both the hards and the softs, at the moment there’s a big jump between the two tire types. It was great to get the opportunity to try out the softs.

“I drove the AlphaTauri [team’s car] in Mexico [in October] but it’s difficult to compare the two as Mexico is a completely different track and at a much higher altitude. Today was a great day and I’m thankful for the opportunity.”

Lawson is currently seventh in the F2 standings ahead of this weekend’s final two races in Abu Dhabi.

He is then set to leave F2 next year and race in the Japan-based Super Formula series.