It was Lawson’s first time driving a racecar in anger in any series since subbing for an injured Daniel Ricciardo over a five-race stint in 2023 and he certainly wasn’t rusty, matching his career-best result of P9 after starting right at the back of the grid.

“I think he drove an exceptional race today, from 19th to ninth," Horner said. "He was fast, courageous, and I thought it was an excellent comeback for him.”

You can read our deep dive in to how the Kiwi achieved this result here.

Horner wasn’t the only paddock legend that Lawson made an impression on, with the 22-year-old developing something of a feud over the weekend with 2-time world champion Fernando Alonso.

The catalyst for this was when Lawson passed Alonso and held the position with some aggressive defending, pushing, but not crossing, the borders of the race regulations.

After a heated post-race exchange, Alonso decided to pay Lawson back in kind with an unnecessary overtake as the pair were leaving the pits for Grand Prix qualifying.

Horner clearly respected this heated performance from the RB driver against his experienced competitor.

“I think if you’re getting into a spat and getting your elbows out with Fernando on your first race back in, you’re doing all right,” he said.

One thing is clear, if the next six races are an audition for the 2025 Red Bull Racing seat, Lawson has earned himself a callback.