Liam Lawson expects a challenging race at Zandvoort

It’s a crash course in learning. Liam Lawson had to step in to replace Daniel Ricciardo at short notice after the latter broke a finger in an accident during the second free practice session in Zandvoort.

The New Zealander had to get used to driving the AlphaTauri of the returning Ricciardo. His first laps took place in the rain. The track conditions and the feeling with the intermediate tires did not match Liam Lawson’s expectations.

« I did not maximize everything »

“It was different from what I was expecting, but I felt like I was making progress and learning how the tires were behaving,” explains the AlphaTauri driver.

Despite his lack of experience, he was confident before the qualifiers. But the tricky conditions during Q1 didn’t allow him to have all the odds in his favor. « During the qualifiers, I felt comfortable and had the impression of gaining a lot, but it rained again and I expected the grip to decrease, but I was surprised to see how high it remained, so it’s certain that I didn’t maximize everything. »

A demanding race

One of the important aspects of this first Grand Prix is his physical condition. Although he is used to driving single-seaters, there is nothing more demanding than a Formula 1 car. The wet track helped him on this first day as the bodies are less stressed. However, the race is expected to take place on dry conditions, which could make it more challenging for him.

« Physically, I feel good now, but with wet track conditions, it’s not as physically demanding as on dry track, so I expect it to be more challenging during the race », estimates the Red Bull team member.

« This track is really tricky, it’s bumpy in some places and requires confidence, which is difficult for me to acquire so quickly. If it’s dry tomorrow, I will learn a lot of new things because I haven’t driven the car in these conditions yet and I haven’t done long runs with slick tires. I will learn as much as possible and hold on tight. »