The New Zealander was drafted in at short notice two years ago when Daniel Ricciardo broke his hand during second practice, forcing Red Bull’s sister team to place Lawson in the car from Saturday morning.
With no prior track time, he qualified last and finished 13th in a chaotic race that began on slicks in heavy rain and ended with a red flag after another downpour.
“It’s funny, because I don’t think it’s good memories, because my memories of that weekend, most of them were just fear and pressure,” Lawson said. “And yeah, it was just a very tough weekend.
“I think I was very relieved to get through it, and I learned a lot from it going into the next few races that I had, but it wasn’t a fun weekend.”
That debut sparked a five-race stint in 2023, where Lawson impressed with composed drives and collected two points.
He did not return to Zandvoort in 2024, only reappearing after Ricciardo split with the team post-Singapore, which opened the door for Lawson’s return at Austin.
Reflecting on that first outing, Lawson said the extreme conditions left little opportunity to settle into a rhythm.
“Honestly, I didn’t [enjoy it]. It was so chaotic,” he admitted. “Qualifying was very tricky. The race was even trickier. So it was very much survival, trying to learn everything I could.
“I remember, there was probably 20 laps [in the race] that it dried up, and I got into a rhythm, and I enjoyed that.
“And then it rained again, and it was red flagged, and so it wasn’t a super enjoyable experience.”
Now in his first full F1 campaign, the 23-year-old has endured a turbulent 2025 season.
He started the year at Red Bull Racing but was demoted back to Racing Bulls after just two races, struggling initially to match rookie teammate Isack Hadjar.
His form has since stabilised, with his first points of the year coming in Monaco, followed by three further top-ten finishes — including back-to-back results in Belgium and Hungary before the summer break.
Another points finish this weekend would make him the first New Zealand driver since Denny Hulme in 1972 to score in three consecutive Grands Prix.
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