“It’s been good,” Lawson said. “It was obviously a very good start in Austin.

“When you start like that, it’s hard to keep improving from there. Deep down, I’m getting better. We are finding things in the car and we are improving. It was such a strong race that it was difficult to replicate it later, and we knew it was going to be like that.

“But it has been good, scoring two points for the team is very good. “It’s just been busy.”

Arguably the most impressive thing about Lawson’s return to Formula One has been the contrast in his two finishing points. At Austin, an engine penalty earned by Ricciardo saw Lawson start 19th on the grid, but he moved up the order to equal his career-best finish.

Two weeks later, in torrential rain at Interlagos, Lawson qualified fifth and held on to finish ninth in conditions that made drivers more experienced than him struggle.

while austin showed that Lawson can attackBrazil He stressed that he can defend – and even managed to hold off Mercedes’ seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton in the process.

But when asked if he could have asked for better upon his return, Lawson noted that he still has more to give to finish the season.

“You can always improve,” he continued. “It’s very rare that you have a perfect career.

“They have been strong and they have been where we need to be. We had an expectation and an objective for the races. Personally, I achieved what I set out to do.

“At the same time, you reflect on racing and obviously there are things you can do better. But it has been a good start and in the future we aspire to results more or less similar to what we have had.”

While on paper, Lawson’s time at RB is only limited to six runs, the situation goes much deeper.

It is widely understood that those six Grands Prix are an audition to step straight into Red Bull’s senior team in 2025 and partner future four-time world champion Max Verstappen.

But while Verstappen is virtually guaranteed the drivers’ title, Red Bull as a team has suffered seriously in the constructors’ championship. From a point of view that seemed invincible, the team now occupies third place behind McLaren and Ferrari.

Those struggles can only be attributed to the feet of Sergio Pérez. While Verstappen leads the championship with 393 points, Pérez is in eighth place with 151. – in the same car.

Red Bull had a contractual option to fire Perez in the summer break earlier this year. but he chose to retain itsince neither Lawson nor Ricciardo guaranteed an immediate improvement.

However, since entering the RB, Lawson has beaten Perez twice. – including his home race in Mexico.

Lawson’s performances have even attracted attention to the point that Jos Verstappen, Max’s father, He has said that he would trust the New Zealander to be his son’s partner in 2025 and beyond.

Lawson and Verstappen share a healthy relationship.

In 2021, when Verstappen was left without a pair of driving boots for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku, Lawson reached out to lend him his own, as he was the only other person in the paddock with feet the same size.

When Lawson arrived in Formula One as Ricciardo’s injury replacement in 2023, Verstappen was also on hand to help the New Zealander face the biggest challenge of his career.

And it’s true that that would change if they competed against each other as teammates. Lawson does not shy away from the challenge of facing the best driver of the modern era.

“I would feel prepared,” he said. “That’s what I’ve been trying to show in my performance over the last two races.

“But that decision comes from the team, from Christian (Horner) and Helmut (Marko). I would feel prepared for that.

“But the best way to show it is by performing on the track. Regardless of whether Red Bull is watching me or not, I’m just focused on performing anyway to stay in the sport.”

So all that remains now is to convince Red Bull’s decision-makers that he is their man.

After Austin, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said Lawson “looked like a veteran.” A week later, after Mexico, Horner also said: “When you’re not delivering, then the spotlight is on you,” in reference to Perez’s poor form.

That Mexican Grand Prix saw Lawson and Perez collide on the track, in a fight in which the New Zealander largely emerged victorious, even if he incurred the ire of Red Bull advisor Dr Helmut Marko.

But although Lawson himself has said he is not in motorsport to make friends, he also accepts that only results will convince the pair that he is the one they should turn to if the ax falls on Perez.

“There are always comments from both Christian and Dr. Marko. They have played an important role in my current situation and also in my future.

“They always give feedback after every weekend, generally they are very short and simple. It’s more or less saying that I’m doing a good job, but let’s move on.

“Their expectations are high, that’s why they put me in the car. We are fighting for sixth place in the constructors category.

“The objective is clear because of what they expect from us: to score points and fight for sixth place.”

Marko has also said that no decision will be made on the battle between Lawson and Perez until after the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in December.

Alex Powell is an online sports editor for the NZ Herald. He has been a sports journalist since 2016 and previously worked for both Newshub and 1News.