Ex-Formula 1 team owner Eddie Jordan has told Red Bull that they cannot “lose” Liam Lawson at any cost, with the Irishman believing that he could be “another” Sebastian Vettel.
Vettel rose through the junior ranks and instantly impressed in F1, by scoring points on his debut for BMW-Sauber at the 2007 US Grand Prix after replacing an injured Robert Kubica.
The German went onto be signed for Toro Rosso in 2008, where he immediately showed just how talented he was.
Vettel famously won the 2008 Italian Grand Prix, before Red Bull promoted him into the main team for 2009.
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Following Jenson Button’s 2009 dominance, Vettel went onto claim four consecutive titles from 2010-2013, in what was a period of time where the German was almost unbeatable.
According to Jordan, Lawson has that same spark that Vettel had when he was younger, something which makes the ex-team owner believe Red Bull should replace the struggling Sergio Perez with the Kiwi.
As things stand, Lawson is set to be Red Bull’s reserve driver for 2024, after Yuki Tsunoda and Daniel Ricciardo were signed to race for AlphaTauri next year.
Based on his performances since replacing the injured Ricciardo, Lawson doesn’t deserve to simply be on the bench.
On just his third F1 appearance, Lawson not only qualified in Q3 but he also scored the Red Bull sister team two crucial points in Singapore.
It almost feels unjust that a driver of Lawson’s talent is going to be on the sidelines next season, with Jordan being convinced that the young driver “deserves” a seat on the grid.
“Lawson finishing 11th – and he just keeps doing it – in a car that really shouldn’t be there, scoring points in Singapore, and he’s on the case all the time,” Jordan said on the Formula For Success podcast.
“Lawson deserves a chance in Formula 1, you can only win the championship with one driver. And, in my opinion, if you are going to change Checo [Perez], I would change them for somebody absolutely new who has a really bright future.
“I think Lawson because it’s the same kind of feeder team, isn’t it? Where [Sebastian] Vettel came from and Lawson has that ability. I think he, either next year or the year after, should wind up in Red Bull.”
Not only does Jordan think Lawson should be on the 2024 grid, he also thinks Red Bull should promote Lawson to replace Perez rather than Ricciardo.
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The Irishman has urged the Milton Keynes-based team to “take that chance” on Lawson, given that he’s got the potential to be just like Vettel.
“Put Lawson in the car. Take that chance, because you have a chance of making another Vettel,” Jordan insisted.
“It’s really difficult to see how Daniel [Ricciardo] is going to do that… Don’t lose Lawson, though, I think he is really good.”