F1 News: Liam Lawson Takes First Points After Just Three Races In Singapore GP
Liam Lawson has taken home 2 points in his third Formula One race under the lights of the Marina Bay Street Circuit, which was his first time racing at the iconic track. Adding to the achievement, this is the best finish of any AlphaTauri driver of the 2023 season.
The New Zealander has been filling in for Daniel Ricciardo since the latter broke his wrist during the second free practice session of the Dutch Grand Prix and Lawson has been impressing ever since.
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AlphaTauri has been struggling to keep up in the constructors' standings during the 2023 season with just three points on the board ahead of the race in Singapore. They very quickly only had Lawson to rely on in the race after Yuki Tsunoda was forced to retire on the second lap after suffering from a puncture after contact with Sergio Perez on the race start.
Lawson's incredible performance has raised questions about Tsunoda's future with the AlphaTauri team, especially as his contract is currently due to expire at the end of the 2023 season. The Italian team has been holding off making any announcements to confirm their driver line-up for 2024, however, with Lawson's performances and Daniel Ricciardo eager to come back, many are of the belief that Tsunoda will miss out on a contract extension.
More bad news for Tsunoda is that his best finish of the season has been tenth position, again being out-performed by the reserve driver.
Ricciardo is still working on his recovery but is expected to come back for the Qatar Grand Prix giving Lawson another chance to impress and secure a permanent F1 seat for 2024 at the Japanese Grand Prix next weekend.
