AlphaTauri’s Liam Lawson is relishing his first trip to a “cool” Marina Bay Street Circuit for 2023 Singapore Grand Prix.
Lawson is set to participate in his third F1 race as he once again stands in for Daniel Ricciardo, who remains sidelined with a left hand injury during FP2 in Zandvoort, Netherlands.
The 21 year-old Kiwi however is set for his first trip to Singapore after he narrowly missed out on a first point and top-ten finish in his F1 career last time out at Monza, Italy, as he finished 11th in the classification.
Reflecting on his weekend in Monza, Lawson “felt more comfortable” despite still having “a lot to learn” as a rookie driver, yet is confident that he can “get more comfortable” and develop “a better understanding of the difference between the tyre compounds,” available to him.
Lawson also admitted that to miss out on a top-ten finish to Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas was “disappointing”, but felt that he could of achieved a top-ten finish if he had enjoyed “a better start,” which could of created a better outcome.
Looking ahead to Singapore, Lawson revealed that he had enjoyed Singapore as a youngster watching on TV and playing video games, as he described Marina Bay as his “favourite circuit”, in part due to the race being held at night which “looked really cool.”
Lawson also quipped that his father had failed to deliver on promises of a trip to the Singapore GP, as he commented: “My dad actually used to promise me every year that he would take me to the Singapore Grand Prix, and in the end, we never went,” although he will attend as a guest this weekend.
Singapore is considered to be “a very tough race physically,” and for a mid-season rookie replacement driver, Lawson feels that it will be “such a tough adjustment” despite constant training and preparation whilst handling each day like it’s in Europe despite the time difference.
The idea of waking up in mid-afternoon Singapore time and working through the night before hitting bed as the local residents rise is something considered to be “cool” by Lawson, whose main priority is adjusting to the track and finding that “tricky” confidence early in the weekend.
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