Lawson: Last year in Las Vegas I watched, wishing I was driving

And deservedly so, as Lawson has ticked every box since he was handed the keys to a Formula 1 drive last year when he was called in on Saturday to replace Daniel Ricciardo at VCARB, who broke his wrist during FP2 for the Dutch Grand Prix last year.

With only FP3 on Saturday to prep for qualifying and the Grand Prix, Lawson gave a good account of himself to finish P13 and ahead of teammate and regular driver Tsunoda in the process.

Lawson remained as a sub for recovering Ricciardo and returned to the cockpit for the race after Qatar, namely Las Vegas, which meant the New Zealander would be watching from the sidelines as the Australian plodded around, overstaying his welcome and certainly no replacement for underfire Sergio Perez to partner Max Verstappen again at Red Bull.

That plan bombed. Undeserving of the race seat with VCARB in 2023, Red Bull stubbornly hung on to the impossible dream of finding the form he once had, which made him one of the most sought-after drivers in F1.

Heading to Las Vegas, in the VCARB preview of Las Vegas, Lawson said, "I was there last year watching and wishing I was driving, so it’s an exciting feeling going into the week knowing I’ll be in the car this time.

"I can’t wait to race in Vegas; it’s an iconic place with a very unique track. It looks quite tricky with a lot of combined braking zones in places. It’s a fast track; obviously, we drive down the strip with a very long straight, which allows for some overtaking.

"It looks like it’s going to be quite cold conditions, similar to last year, so it’s going to be a challenge for sure, but I’m super pumped to be racing under the lights," added Lawson, who has three Grand Prix weekends to convince Helmut Marko he is the man for the 2025 VCARB drive.

Stats show that Tsunoda has out-qualified Lawson 7-1, but the Kiwi is 6-2 up in the races against the Japanese driver, who has raced for Red Bull's junior team for the past four seasons.

Tsunoda said of his second visit to the Las Vegas Grand Prix: "The slightly longer break since Brazil means I’ve had time to move house, and I also had a couple of simulator sessions to prepare for this final triple-header of the season."

Tsunoda explained: "It’s an unusual track, very long for a street circuit, with mainly slow corners, so the car set-up is a compromise between having enough downforce to help with heavy braking at the end of the three long straights and having good traction out of the turns while also not having so much drag it affects your top speed on the very fast straights.

"It gets very cold at night, so one of the main challenges is keeping the brakes and tyres in the right operating window on a long stint in the race and also on a flying lap in qualifying. Last year, there was plenty of off-track activity involving the drivers, so I’m interested to see what the organizers have planned for us this time!" added Tsunoda.

VCARB technical boss Jody Egginton on expectations for the race in Sin City: "We now head to Las Vegas for the first leg of the final triple-header of the season with the battle for the Constructors’ Championship positions still very close.

"The Las Vegas venue is a relatively new one, having first appeared on the calendar last year. The race takes place at night on a street circuit that includes parts of the famous Las Vegas Strip and is the third of three Grands Prix held in the USA this year.

"At 6.2 kilometers in length and with 17 corners and a 1.9 km straight, there are plenty of challenges for drivers and engineers. The circuit is a temporary one, so grip levels are generally low, and although there is some evolution during the event, grip remains at a premium, forming part of the challenges the drivers have to face at this venue.

"The track layout pushes teams to remove downforce, targeting high efficiency; hence seeking a tow can form part of making an overtake, while the section from turn 6 through to turn 9 offers enough space for drivers to pass, as does turn 17, if the driver has enough confidence under braking.

"Following on from recent events, our expectation is to be very much in the midfield battle, fighting in what will be an intensive end to the season," concluded Eggington.

On 44 points and in P8, after 21 rounds, VCARB is embroiled in a battle for P6 in the 2024 F1 Constructors' Championship and the extra prize money that comes with it, with Haas on 46 points and Alpine on 49.