Nothing to prove: Motorsport legend Murphy praises Lawson's F1 splash

Formula One prodigy Liam Lawson has already done enough to clinch a permanent spot among the sport's elite, insists Kiwi motorsport legend Greg Murphy.

The former Australian Supercars star has told Breakfast that Lawson's performance at the United States Grand Prix — and previous cameos in the Red Bull Honda — should have convinced his team he is worthy of retaining on a fulltime basis beyond the current season.

Lawson, 23, only replaced popular Australian Daniel Ricciardo after last month's Singapore Grand Prix, but hit the ground running at Austin, Texas, clocking the third fastest time in the first stage of qualifying and finishing ninth, after serving a penalty at the back of the starting grid.

Murphy, a four-time Bathurst 1000 winner, has been impressed with how quickly his young countryman has made his mark on the field.

"It's not unbelievable, because that's what I believe he's capable of doing," Murphy told Breakfast. "He just did what is natural to him and what he wants to be, which is a Formula One driver, and prove he's capable of being there.

"He proved that again — he proved it last year, when he stepped in for Daniel Ricciardo. Now he's replaced Daniel Ricciardo and straight out of the gate... everyone else has done 18 races this year, but he dives in, beats his teammate convincingly, almost beats the other Red Bull driver Sergio Perez, puts him in the points straight away.

"He doesn't need to prove anything anymore. He's done that in miles, and let's just hope that leads to bigger and better things very, very soon for him."

Lawson temporarily took Ricciardo's seat for five races in 2023, after the Aussie broke his hand, and finished ninth at Singapore, before handing it back. This year, he had bided his time, waiting for another chance to show his ability.

"He jumped in and looked like a veteran to be honest," said Red Bull chief executive Christian Horner. "He's a great racer and can be very happy with that drive today."

Murphy says Lawson's emergence has added another string to New Zealand's proud motorsport traditiona, which is enjoying a purple patch currently, with the feats of Scott McLaughlin and Shane van Gisbergen in Supercars, then IndyCar and NASCAR respectively, Scott Dixon's continuing legacy in IndyCar and a host of other successful drivers around the globe.

"He will be receiving messages from everybody, all the other motorsport drivers from New Zealand competing around the world," he said. "He has a massive amount of support behind him.

"He is achieving something very, very special. He will be in Formula One for a long time."

Lawson's next outing comes this weekend, when the F1 championship moves to Mexico City.

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