Liam Lawson on 'Frustrating' Singapore GP Shunt

Liam Lawson's FP2 session at the Singapore Grand Prix ended abruptly with a crash at Turn 17, but the Racing Bulls driver believes the team showed strong pace before the incident. Lawson attributed the shunt to taking too much kerb and trying to carry too much speed.

Why it matters:

Lawson's crash, though a setback for his individual session, came during a promising FP2 for Racing Bulls, with teammate Isack Hadjar finishing P2. This suggests the team has genuine potential for a strong performance in Singapore, a crucial confidence boost as they aim to compete in the midfield.

The details:

• Lawson's VCARB 02 sustained significant front-right damage after hitting the wall at Turn 17, bringing out a red flag in FP2.
• He explained that he took "a little bit too much kerb in [Turn] 16" which bounced him to the left, leading him to take "too much kerb in 17" before losing control trying to "carry the speed."
• Despite the crash, Lawson felt the car was "very fast" and "felt a lot more comfortable in P2" after making changes from a difficult FP1.
• Teammate Isack Hadjar finished second in FP2, just 0.132 seconds behind Oscar Piastri, indicating the Racing Bulls' strong short-run pace.

What's next:

Lawson will aim to learn from his incident and fine-tune the car overnight with the team. The promising pace shown by Hadjar, even without knowing the full fuel loads of other teams, bodes well for Racing Bulls' qualifying and race prospects. If they can maintain this speed and avoid further incidents, they could be in contention for significant points.