New Zealand F1 driver Liam Lawson. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Liam Lawson has got the backing of a former Formula 1 driver.
The under-pressure 23-year-old is yet to pick up any points in seven rounds of the 2025 Formula 1 season.
Russian Danill Kvyat, who drove for Toro Rosso, Red Bull and Alpha Tauri between 2014 and 2020, believes Lawson will recover.
Kvyat was dropped by Red Bull in the 2016 season and replaced by Max Verstappen,
"It is not quite the same situation, with different levels of performance, but what happens in Formula 1 is that sometimes you are thrown in the deep ocean," Kvyat told RacingNews365.
"They are not great circumstances for you as a driver, and once you don't have it, and are not in the right place at the right time, it can play a lot against you, but it is not over yet.
"Especially for Liam, the car looks competitive, and he just needs to reset and keep going."
Lawson started the season in the Red Bull car alongside world champion Verstappen but after two races was dropped to junior team Racing Bulls.
The 23-year-old has had two DNF's while his best results were 12th in China and Saudi Arabia.
"I know it is easy to say, but it is the pinnacle of the sport, and it is tough, it has always been like that, and nothing I see coming back [in the paddock] has changed in that regard," Kvyat said.
"It is like it should be. When I was racing for AlphaTauri in 2019, 2020, it was in the midfield, and there were just two teams that were massively ahead of everyone; now it is not so much the case anymore.
"You can really see a good car straight away."
Kvyat now races in the IMSA series (prototype and GT cars) in North America.
The Formula 1 circuit heads to Monaco this weekend - a track Lawson has not raced at.
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