Photo Credit: Red Bull Content Pool
Liam Lawson narrowly missed out on points at the Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka, finishing in P11, one place ahead of his more experienced teammate and home favourite Yuki Tsunoda.
Their battle on the opening lap was a real spectacle and one which the Kiwi won just before the safety car came out (for debris at turn one) to neutralise proceedings.
It was also an intense battle between the pair over the final ten laps. Tsunoda closed the gap on newer hard tyres, getting within half a second of Lawson, but the Kiwi didn’t make any errors and held his nerve to finish ahead of Tsunoda.
Speaking after the race, Lawson stated how this weekend they didn’t quite have the race pace to challenge for points and feels he maximised the package available to him.
“We didn’t have the performance in the long run today and didn’t quite have the speed of the Alpines ahead. The team and I worked hard this weekend to maximise the sessions, and we made steps in each one.”
On his battle with Tsunoda, 21 year old Lawson said he thinks it was fair racing and is delighted with his own performance to prove himself as someone who is worthy of a full-time Formula One seat when the 2025 season arrives.
“The fight with Yuki was aggressive, but I think it was a fair race. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough, and I think neither of us had the pace to make the top 10. I’m still trying to score points for the team and prove myself every time I get in the car, and I think I did that today,” concluded Lawson.
