Liam Lawson: Was He One Of F1 2023’s Most Unsung Heroes?

Liam Lawson isn’t a star, not a race winner, definitely not a champion but he matters. Bold statement? Big claim? Here is a bit of a context.

The 2023 Formula 1 season was a one of a kind season. Surely, yet another season had Red Bull tasting the winner’s champagne and on two different notes; one for its driver triumph and the other, for its Constructor’s triumph.

But then, no other season in the post turbo-hybrid era of Formula 1 racing had seen Red Bull dominating in the way they did. The Milton Keynes-based outfit scored 860 points, let that sink in. The next best team on the standings, Mercedes, scored 409 of those points and Ferrari, three fewer than the team whose home race event is Silverstone.

But the 2023 also saw Carlos Sainz Jr. emerge as the only non Red Bull driver to score a race win. There were podiums for Lewis and George as also for Leclerc.

Alonso exulted on the podiums on five occasions on the trot from the moment the season went on. A P3 is what the valiant driver from Aston Martin brought home.

But was the 2023 Formula 1 season only about these big moments? Could it be that one of the more under-appreciated moments was the triumph of Liam Lawson, who scored his first points ever in the very race that had Carlos Sainz Jr. written all over it: Singapore Grand Prix.

Having never previously raced in a full-fledged night race up to that point, the young 21-year-old driver from New Zealand quite simply owned the starry Singapore night at the Marina Bay circuit.

In scoring a valuable and respectable P9 (ahead of Kevin Magnussen in tenth), having actually begun from tenth on the grid, Lawson finished in points in what is clearly one of the most demanding races on the calendar.

It ought to be remembered that the avid youngster had only just arrived in the top echelons of motor-racing a little over a fortnight back at the Dutch Grand Prix, where he was strapped into an F1 car in the absence of the-then injured Daniel Ricciardo.

Why Liam Lawson matters?

Who would have thought that a driver who was racing in a machine as ordinary or modestly quick as an Alpha Tauri would finish such a physically exhausting race in points?

It didn’t take long for the visibly happy Lawson to reflect on what was a truly magnificent effort upon the completion of the 2023 Singapore Grand Prix:

“I would have liked a few more Grands Prix to prepare for this one, but obviously when you get the opportunity, you have to take it with both hands. Honestly that’s what I’m trying to do, and today was fantastic.”

Somewhere it is quite sad that such a talented racer has no space on the grid for the next year; Daniel Ricciardo has been confirmed by AlphaTauri for their 2024 seat, a position that the under-fire Australian would treat lightly only at his own peril.

Partnering him is the Japanese youngster Yuki Tsunoda who has clearly had a memorable season with strong performances as seen at Belgium and Abu Dhabi; the Sagamihara-born scored a P10 and P8 at these races, respectively.

But then the very fact that an unassuming utterly inexperienced Liam Lawson outperformed his own teammate Tsunoda at Singapore in his very first attempt under the flashing lights of the Marina Bay does go to show a thing or two as to why that drive, in particular, was an unsung F1 moment of 2023.

What do you reckon?