Horner confirms Lawson set for grid penalty at first race back in Austin

Asked in an appearance on the F1 Nation podcast about his hopes for Lawson, with Austin also marking a Sprint weekend, Horner began: “Well, he’ll be taking an engine penalty anyway, so he’s got a bit of a soft landing, or a soft re-entry.

“But of course, he’s going to be gauged against his team mate. He was very quick against him last year. I think Yuki’s stepped it up a gear again this year. It’s just going to be fascinating to see how quickly he adapts, how quickly he gets on with it.”

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Across the three races both drivers finished during their five-round spell as team mates last season, Lawson beat Tsunoda twice, as well as making headlines with a standout run to Q3 and the points in Singapore.

Pushed on his expectations for Lawson in the races ahead, Horner added: “It’s difficult to say. Last year, Liam was quick from the outset. He’s a tough racer and he’s very adaptable. Certainly, the testing that he’s done for us in the Red Bull Racing car this year has been very encouraging.