“It’s been good,” Lawson said. “It was obviously a very good start in Austin.

“When you start like that, it’s hard to keep improving from there. Basically, I’m improving. We find things in the car and we get better at it. It was such a strong race that it was difficult to repeat afterwards, which we knew it would be.

“But it’s been good, scoring points twice, for the team, it’s very good. It was just busy.

Arguably, what was most impressive about Lawson’s return to Formula 1 was the contrast between his two points. In Austin, an engine penalty imposed by Ricciardo allowed Lawson to start 19th on the grid, but move up the field to equal his career best result.

Two weeks later, in torrential rain at Interlagos, Lawson qualified fifth and held on to finish ninth in conditions which saw drivers more experienced than him struggle.

While Austin showed that Lawson could attackBrazil stressed that he can defend – and even managed to keep seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes at bay.

But when asked if he could have asked for more upon his return, Lawson stressed he still had more to give to finish the season.

“You can always improve,” he continued. “It’s very rare that you have a perfect race.

“They were strong and they were where we needed to be. We had an expectation and a goal before the races. For my part, I achieved what I set out to do.

“At the same time, you think about the races, and there are obviously things you can do better. But it’s a good start, and in the future we aim for results more or less similar to those we achieved.

While on paper Lawson’s time at RB is only limited to six carries, the situation runs much deeper.

It is widely believed that these six Grands Prix are an audition to move directly into the senior Red Bull team in 2025 and partner future four-time world champion Max Verstappen.

But while Verstappen is all but assured of the drivers’ title, Red Bull as a team has seriously suffered in the constructors’ championship. From a seemingly invincible point, the team now sits third behind McLaren and Ferrari.

These struggles can only be blamed on Sergio Perez. While Verstappen leads the championship with 393 points, Perez sits eighth with 151. – in the same car.

Red Bull had a contractual option to sack Perez during the summer break earlier this year but I chose to hold it insteadbecause neither Lawson nor Ricciardo guaranteed immediate improvement.

Since joining the RB, Lawson has beaten Perez twice – including his home race in Mexico.

Lawson’s performances even turned heads to the point that Jos Verstappen, father of Max, said he would have confidence in the Kiwi partnership with his son in 2025 and beyond.

Lawson and Verstappen share a healthy relationship.

In 2021, when Verstappen was left without a pair of driving boots for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku, Lawson decided to lend him his own, given that he was the only other person in the sport with feet of the same size.

When Lawson entered Formula 1 to replace the injured Ricciardo in 2023, Verstappen was also there to help the Kiwi face the biggest challenge of his career.

And while that would change if they competed as teammates, Lawson doesn’t shy away from the challenge of taking on the best driver of the modern era.

“I would feel ready,” he said. “That’s what I tried to show in my performance in the last two races.

“But this decision comes from the team, from Christian (Horner) and Helmut (Marko). I would feel ready for that.

“But the best way to show it is to perform on the track. Whether I’m being watched by Red Bull or not, I’m focusing on my performance anyway to stay in the sport.

All that remains is to convince the decision-makers at Red Bull that he is their man.

After Austin, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said Lawson had “looked like a veteran”. A week later, after Mexico, Horner also said: “When you don’t do the right thing, then the spotlight is on you” in reference to Perez’s poor form.

This Mexican Grand Prix saw Lawson and Perez go head-to-head on track, in a brawl in which the Kiwi emerged largely victorious, although it drew the ire of Red Bull advisor Dr Helmut Marko.

But while Lawson himself has said he’s not in motorsport to make friends, he also admits that only results will convince both men that he’s the one they should turn to if and when the ax falls on Perez.

“There are always comments from Christian and Dr. Marko. They have played an important role in my current situation and in my future as well.

“They always give their feedback after each weekend, it’s usually very short and simple. It’s more or less saying I’m doing a good job, but I need to keep moving forward.

“The expectations from them are high, that’s why they put me in the car. We are fighting for sixth place among the manufacturers.

“The objective is clear from what they expect from us, to score points and fight for sixth place.”

Marko also said that no decision on the Lawson v Perez battle would be made until the end of the season at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in December.

Alex Powell is an online sports editor for the NZ Herald. He has been a sports journalist since 2016 and previously worked for Newshub and 1News.