Pukekohe racer Liam Lawson has made an impeccable Formula 1 debut under difficult conditions, out-racing his team-mate at the Dutch Grand Prix and then posting the best result of the year for Alpha Tauri’s ‘second’ car.

Daniel Ricciardo opened the door for Liam when he crashed in free practice for the Dutch Grand Prix in August. Ricciardo, in just his third grand prix since earning a drive with the Red Bull-backed outfit, fractured his left hand when he drove into a tyre wall at Zandvoort on the Friday of race weekend in an attempt to avoid running headlong into Oscar Piastri’s stricken McLaren after the Australian driver crashed moments earlier.

Australian F1 veteran Ricciardo’s misfortune gave Lawson his chance, thrusting him in at the deep end given the conditions that prevailed at Zandvoort over the weekend.

Lawson, a Red Bull junior driver, was the named substitute driver for AlphaTauri. He had little time to prepare. The 21-year-old New Zealander performed admirably to bring the car home in tricky conditions at Zandvoort.

A shortened and weather-affected practice and qualifying left Lawson on the last row of the grid, P20, forcing him to fight through the field, eventually finishing 13th.

He out-raced his team-mate, Yuki Tsunoda and was the subject of a media frenzy after the race.

A week later, Lawson qualified 12th and finished 11th at the Monza Grand Prix, where Tsunoda was a non-starter with electrical issues. There was a delay of about 20 minutes following the formation lap at Monza as Tsunoda withdrew on the formation lap due to a power unit failure, with smoke billowing out of the cockpit.

The race itself was difficult, with AlphaTauri opting to run a two-stop strategy.

Lawson was slow at the start and spent most of the race just outside the top 10.

“A couple of things went wrong today, we need to look into the start, as I could have done a better job, and that’s where we lost the chance,” Lawson said.

The Monza result was the best qualifying position and best race result for AlphaTauri’s ‘second car’.

The 21-year-old Kiwi’s F1 season will run until at least the Singapore Grand Prix, with Ricciardo unable to drive until after that race.

In just two races since replacing the injured Ricciardo, Lawson has come away with better results than the Aussie, prompting speculation that a full drive may not be far away.

Red Bull F1 boss Christian Horner praised the Kiwi’s performance and said he would continue in the seat for the coming races.

“Certainly Singapore, I don’t think there’s any chance [Ricciardo] will be ready for then,” Horner said of the Aussie. “And I think it will be optimistic for Japan.”

Horner said Lawson has fitted in well.

“He did a solid job today. I haven’t followed his race that closely, they went for a two-stop, which was unconventional on today’s strategy.”

Horner says Lawson is facing “a golden moment in his career” and has urged him to make the most of the opportunity.

“In very difficult circumstances at Zandvoort, in a car he’d never driven, and obviously having missed out on Friday running at a tricky track in rainy conditions, it was very tough for him,” reflected Horner on Lawson’s full debut performance.

“But I thought he acquitted himself very well, very maturely, and did a solid job during the race. He ticked all the boxes.”

Meanwhile Red Bull boss Helmut Marko has high praise for Lawson, whose current F1 form has Marko comparing him with Bruce McLaren, the first New Zealander to compete in F1, who scored 27 podiums from his 100 starts – including four wins – before founding the famous team that bears his name.

“Liam has been with us for a while. He is a tough but very smart man in a fight, a bit like Bruce McLaren. This is certainly someone for the future.”

It’s a busy year for Lawson, who is also battling for dominance in Japan’s premier Super Formula open wheeler category.

Ricciardo will return to the cockpit of the AT04 once fit, with the Australian then expected to further prove himself in however many races may be available in order to earn a contract for next year.

There are no guarantees for Yuki Tsunoda, whose Red Bull contract ends this year. He is in his third season in F1 this year, although the Japanese driver has at least scored all three of the team’s points to date.

Lawson, meanwhile, is living every young racer’s dream.

“The only thing I care about are my chances of a future in Formula 1, and that was what I was focused on.”