Liam Lawson will make his fifth Formula 1 start at this weekend’s Qatar Grand Prix, getting his first taste of an F1 Sprint race on the Losail International Circuit.
The Kiwi has impressed since filling in with a late call-up at the Dutch Grand Prix after Daniel Ricciardo was injured in FP2, driving to a strong set of results highlighted with a P9, AlphaTauri’s best result of 2023, in Singapore.
Despite achieving his first Formula 1 points on the Marina Bay Street Circuit, Lawson left the round admitting he felt he could have done better off the start, something which he managed to improve on two weeks ago in Japan, where he finished 11th.
“The whole Japan experience was good,” said Lawson. “The week was very, very busy because of more media and events than I’ve ever had to deal with, but it was all pretty good fun, and the weekend itself was also enjoyable.
“For the first time since Zandvoort, I got a good start in the race. I always knew what was missing. It was just about putting the procedure together, which is very different to what I’m used to in Super Formula. It’s good that I’ve done it because it definitely helped, and now I’ll continue working on them to keep doing them well.
“Now we move on to Qatar. I’m not sure how we’ll get on there or how the upgrades will work. I think it’s hard to say because where we struggled in Japan was mainly in the high speed, in Sector 1. We still have more to learn about our new package, and I’m not so sure that Qatar is the type of circuit that will suit our car.
“Learning takes time, and we’ve got more opportunities in Qatar to try and get the most out of it. However, it’s also a Sprint weekend, so at the same time, that makes it quite tricky, especially in my situation. I’ve never driven here, so going into the sprint weekend will be extra tough.”
It will be Lawson’s first time racing on the Losail International Circuit and the second for most of the field after the track was only introduced in 2021 as a replacement during a Covid-impacted campaign.
Once again, he’s been left busy getting up to speed to learn the venue before venturing out for FP1, the weekend’s sole practice session, on Saturday morning (NZ time).
“I drove the Qatar track in the simulator at the end of last week,” he says. “It’s very fast, a very high-speed circuit and quite unique, and I’ve not seen many tracks like it, as there’s only one low-speed corner in the whole track. The rest is just fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh gear, so I think it’s going to be exciting to drive.
“With only one Free Practice session, we drivers will have to know where to improve because it’ll get faster at night when it’s much cooler, and we need to know exactly how to extract everything out of the car. I’m expecting it to be tougher than the races we’ve just done.”
The event will likely be Lawson’s last Formula 1 round for the foreseeable future, with Daniel Ricciardo expected to return for the United States Grand Prix in two weeks.
He does, however, still have unfinished business in Super Formula, where a double-header at Suzuka on 27-29 October will decide the title. Only 10 points separate the top three drivers ahead of that round.
“In Japan, the news came public that I’m back to the role of reserve driver next year,” he says. “Obviously, my goal is to be in Formula 1 full-time, so as much as it’s disappointing, it’s still my goal, and it’s now about trying to make sure that I can make that happen in the future.
“Right now, I’ve still got this opportunity to keep trying to show something, and I’ll try to make the most of it.
“For now, as long as this lasts, I’ll focus on it, and then once I step back from F1, it’ll be full focus on preparing for the final round of the Super Formula championship at Suzuka on the weekend of the Mexican Grand Prix. It’ll be very different adjusting back to the car, but it’s certainly been useful having driven so many laps at Suzuka throughout the Grand Prix weekend.”
Information on New Zealand times and how to watch the Qatar Grand Prix can be found in this week’s Motorsport Diary.
Header Image: Getty Images/ Red Bull Content Pool
You can do it. Good luck Liam