Liam Lawson given punishment by FIA before he even steps into Red Bull car for first time after replacing Daniel Ricciardo

Formula One driver Liam Lawson has already been handed a penalty by the FIA just days after replacing Daniel Ricciardo at Racing Bulls.

Lawson replaced the highly-popular Ricciardo as one of the two permanent drivers for Racing Bulls on Thursday.

The 22-year-old had previously been a reserve driver for the team and subbed in for an injured Ricciardo at the start of the 2023 season to compete in five grand prix weekends last season.

But ahead of his first race as a full-time Formula One driver, he has already been handed a penalty by the FIA.

Ahead of the United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, Lawson will be taking an unscheduled engine swap, meaning he will automatically be handed a 10-place grid penalty.

Speaking to Motorsport-Total.com, via Autosport, director of the Red Bull Formula One teams Helmut Marko revealed the engine change.

He said: "The first [race], I think, won't be relevant because he has an engine penalty. Ten places in the sprint race, so that doesn't exactly make life easier in Austin."

While immediately taking a penalty will no doubt frustrate the kiwi driver, it could act as a blessing in disguise as it temporarily takes the pressure off of him as he will not be expected to finish close to teammate Yuki Tsunoda.

Additionally, as the United States GP is a sprint weekend, the penalty will be in place for the sprint race rather than the grand prix race itself, where more points will be available.

Liam Lawson's first race as a permanent driver will be the United States Grand Prix on October 20. (Image: Getty)

Posting on Instagram once his seat was confirmed, Lawson wrote: "I’ve dreamed of being a Formula One driver since I was a kid, and I’m very happy to say that dream is finally coming true. I want to thank VCARB and Red Bull for this opportunity, I’m extremely grateful and excited to get to work 🤟"

Lawson was Red Bull's reserve driver for a total of 33 months before getting the permanent seat this week.

Having only had the opportunity to compete in a race five times in that period, despite travelling to every grand prix and completing countless hours on the team's simulator, it's fair to say he has earned his chance to race in Formula One.

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