Unlikely became reality for Liam Lawson at Formula One’s Dutch Grand Prix last weekend, his trial by fire with AlphaTauri commencing in possibly the worst possible conditions a driver on debut could hope for.

But
the 21-year-old took everything that was thrown at him by the wild conditions and lack of prep time in his stride, improving from a starting position of 19th on the grid for a 13th-placed finish – three places higher than teammate Yuki Tsunoda.

For the past couple of years, Lawson has travelled to Formula One events as the reserve driver for AlphaTauri and Red Bull, helping with race preparations and being on hand to get behind the wheel in the highly unlikely event he is needed.

A broken hand to Daniel Ricciardo in last week’s second practice session at Zandvoort opened the door for Lawson, and he impressed the team bosses enough to have his role driving for AlphaTauri for as long as Ricciardo is sidelined confirmed, so he will again be behind the wheel this weekend at Italy’s famed Monza circuit.

“Obviously, you’re always prepared as much as you can be for these things, but it’s so unlikely that you never really expect it to happen, and then it did,” Lawson said of getting the opportunity to race at Zandvoort after Ricciardo was injured. “During the race, Pierre [Hamelin, race engineer] was super supportive with so much information, basically walking me through it, and that really made my life a lot easier, but obviously, there are always things you can improve on.

“In the race, we had every condition thrown at us, so that was difficult at the time, but also a good and positive experience, which has helped me get ready for Monza.”

After being thrown in the deep end last time out, Lawson will get the benefit of a full week to get ready for the race and will be competing at a track he is more familiar with than Zandvoort. Lawson has raced at Monza in each of the past four years as it is a stop on the Formula Two and Three series, whereas Zandvoort was only added to the Formula Two calendar last year.

Lawson has raced well at Monza in the past, finishing in the points in five of his seven races there since the start of the 2019 season. However, he admits Formula One racing is a different kind of beast.

“Having not driven a Formula One car [at Monza], it will still be quite a big challenge, but it is more of a straightforward circuit, and it’s one I’ve driven a few times already. Regardless, there’ll be a lot more to learn, a lot more to improve on, and a lot from Zandvoort to reflect on to use for this week,” Lawson said.

“Going to Monza with an Italian team is also going to be special. If I think back to last weekend, Formula One is such a different world – the difference between walking into the circuit on Friday compared to walking into the circuit on Saturday, I’ve never experienced anything like that, specifically that level of attention. Being a home race in Monza, I imagine it’s going to be even more significant there.

“It’s amazing to be doing this. It’s been my dream since before I can even remember, so it’s very cool to have this opportunity, and I’m just going to try to make the most of it.”

Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.