Japanese GP: Liam Lawson beats AlphaTauri teammate Yuki Tsunoda but misses out on Formula 1 points

If the Japanese Grand Prix was Liam Lawson’s swansong in the 2023 Formula 1 season, he certainly left his mark.

After missing out on a fulltime AlphaTauri seat for 2024, Lawson finishing in 11th place at Suzuka on Sunday evening would have impressed many.

While he has consistently impressed in his three previous Formula 1 drives since taking over as injury cover for Daniel Ricciardo (broken hand), there were questions about exactly how he stacked up against AlphaTauri teammate and Honda-backed driver Yuki Tsunoda, as Tsunoda had some issues in Italy and Singapore and was unable to drive.

In Japan, Lawson gave everyone the comparison they wanted to see.

The 21-year-old held off his teammate down the back end of the 53-lap race. While Tsunoda got within 0.5 seconds of Lawson in the last 10 laps, the Kiwi held his cool and thwarted the efforts of his Japanese counterpart to finish the race where he started.

“We didn’t have the performance in the long run today and didn’t quite have the speed of the Alpines ahead,” Lawson said.

“The team and I worked hard this weekend to maximise the sessions, and we made steps in each one. The fight with Yuki was aggressive, but I think it was a fair race.

“Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough, and I think neither of us had the pace to make the top 10. I’m still trying to score points for the team and prove myself every time I get in the car, and I think I did that today.”

It was a race packed with action from the start; a safety car was brought on to the track in the first lap after a hectic start that saw several cars sustain damage and debris fall on to the track. Starts had been an issue for Lawson in his short time in Formula 1, but at a track he was familiar with, he drove aggressively from the start and moved from 11th to ninth - overtaking Tsunoda in the process.

AlphaTauri, running both drivers on a two-stop pit strategy, brought Tsunoda in first, which allowed him to undercut Lawson when the Kiwi had a tyre change one lap later. It was the reverse later in the race, which meant Tsunoda would have newer tyres down the home stretch.

However, with points off the table, as he was about 19 second behind 10th place, Lawson fought well to hold off his teammate and secure an 11th-place finish. At the front of the race, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen won by a wide margin from McLaren duo Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. Verstappen’s win secured the Constructors’ Championship for Red Bull Racing.

It was the second time in four races that Lawson had missed out on points by just one place (Japan and Italy), while he finished ninth to claim two championship points last weekend in Singapore and 13th on debut at the Dutch GP late last month.

Of the two races both he and Tsunoda have completed (Dutch GP and Japanese GP), Lawson has finished ahead in both.

There is no guarantee Lawson will get another opportunity to race in Formula 1 again this season as Ricciardo is a possibility of making his return from injury at Qatar in a fortnight. That would send Lawson back into his role as the Red Bull and AlphaTauri reserve driver.

Earlier in the week, AlphaTauri, a development team for Red Bull, confirmed they would be represented by Tsunoda and Ricciardo in their two race seats for the 2024 season despite Lawson exceeding expectations with his opportunities since replacing the latter. That will leave three seats across the two Red Bull-affiliated teams vacant for 2025, with Red Bull’s Sergio Perez - who was forced to retire from Sunday’s race - also set to see out his contract next season, and Red Bull insists it’s only a matter of time before Lawson gets his opportunity.

Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.