AlphaTauri’s Liam Lawson has revealed that he is “happy” with his ninth-placed finish at 2023 Singapore Grand Prix.
Having qualified tenth on the grid ahead of both Red Bull drivers and teammate, Yuki Tsunoda, Lawson initially lost two places at the start but took advantage of Safety Car and Virtual Safety Car periods to finish ninth at the checkered flag.
His ninth-placed finish meant that Lawson not only recorded his first top-ten finish in only his third race in F1, but also picked up two points which marked his first points finish in F1 which he described as a “fantastic” achievement.
Lawson however admitted that he would of preferred to have had raced in more races prior to a hot and humid Singapore race, as he explained: “I would’ve liked a few more Grands Prix to prepare for this one, but obviously, when you get the opportunity, you have to take it with both hands.”
The 21 year-old New Zealand driver was also pleased with his car’s performance despite another scruffy start, as he added: “I’m happy with the race, and I definitely gave it everything because I think we maximised the car’s performance.
“I need to look at the start because it’s been two weekends in a row that I lost positions, so it makes our lives harder. We stayed out of trouble for the rest of the race and kept it clean.”
For any rookie driver participating in their first Singapore GP, the heat and humidity are two challenging issues, but Lawson also had to cope with pace management of his tyres on an one-stop strategy.
Upon reflection of his race performance, Lawson concluded: “It’s hard when you’re struggling for pace, trying to maximise your tools and get everything out of it, so the race was physically demanding.”
AlphaTauri’s Technical Director, Jody Eggington meanwhile praised Lawson for delivering a “fantastic” drive, in which he had to manage his tyres whilst making overtakes where possible and maintaining his consistent lap times.
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