BARRETTO: Why Lawson's performance in China showed how far he's come since his Red Bull demotion

Liam Lawson's Formula 1 career may only be 37 Grands Prix young – but he's already had enough twists and turns to make quite the tale.

The New Zealander got his shot unexpectedly with AlphaTauri when Daniel Ricciardo injured his hand in the Netherlands in 2023 and impressed in a five-race stint that peaked with his first points in F1 with ninth in Singapore.

He missed out on a gig for 2024 but bided his time and got another shot when he was drafted in to replace Ricciardo from Austin until the end of the season and wasted no time in making his mark by scoring in his first race back.