‘Fast and courageous’ – Horner’s verdict on Lawson’s ‘exceptional’ F1 return in Austin

Red Bull boss Christian Horner says he was very impressed by Liam Lawson’s return to Grand Prix racing in Austin – and especially how the young New Zealander handled a clash with two-time champion Fernando Alonso.

The 22-year-old was announced as Daniel Ricciardo’s replacement at RB following the Singapore Grand Prix, marking his return to F1 following a five-race stint for the team when Ricciardo was ruled out with a hand injury between August and October last year.

READ MORE: Beaming Lawson ‘definitely didn’t’ expect points on F1 return after massive grid penalty

Despite not having raced in Formula 1 for a year, Lawson matched his best Grand Prix result on his return by crossing the line in ninth place to net two points for the Italian team – despite starting on the back row thanks to a huge 60-place grid penalty incurred for changing key parts on his car.

Lawson has also been reported to be a potential future option for Red Bull, with Team Principal Horner singing his praises after a successful recovery drive from the back of the grid.

“I think he drove an exceptional race today, from 19th to ninth," Horner said. "He was fast, courageous, and I thought it was an excellent comeback for him.”

READ MORE: ‘We should have done a better job’ – Team Principal Mekies admits RB ‘not happy’ with how Ricciardo exit was handled

Intriguingly, the New Zealander’s race weekend also saw something of a rivalry developing between himself and two-time world champion Fernando Alonso that saw them clash in a number of sessions.

In Saturday’s Sprint, the two engaged in a heated battle outside the points-scoring positions, leading to the Aston Martin racer branding Lawson “an idiot” over the team radio for his defensive moves.

The tension spilled over into qualifying when Alonso nipped in front of him into Turn 1 in the session’s early stages, prompting Lawson to tell his race engineer that “he’s doing exactly what he said he would do”.

READ MORE: Horner delivers ‘crystal clear’ verdict as he dissects thrilling Verstappen/Norris scrap in Austin

Asked about the on-track battle, Horner pointed to it as a sign of the RB driver’s competitive nature. “I think if you’re getting into a spat and getting your elbows out with Fernando on your first race back in, you’re doing all right,” he said.