The Qatar Grand Prix may be the last that we see Liam Lawson competing in the 2023 Formula One season with his AlphaTauri team. Of the five consecutive Grand Prix that he has driven in as a substitute driver for the injured Daniel Ricciardo, Qatar proved to be quite uneventful. Yet, it could be described as a solid performance in that he brought the car home in one piece, finishing not far behind his teammate Yuki Tsunoda.
“It was really tricky out there,” commented Lawson. “From the start of the race, we had no speed, and throughout, we were managing some stability issues, so it’s something to analyse.
“It was very hot, and when you’re struggling with the car, it makes it even harder to extract the pace. It seems to be my last race with the team before Daniel (Ricciardo) comes back, so I want to say a big thank you to the team, and it’s a shame to finish like this.”
Having qualified in 18th position, Lawson was always going to struggle to attack the mid-field.
“For Liam, starting towards the back of the grid, we tried to start aggressively on the soft compound tyre in an attempt to attack other cars at the start and pit at the first opportunity, which happened during the Safety Car period, said Guillaume Dezoteux (Head of Vehicle Performance). “Unfortunately, Liam had been struggling to find the pace after his first stop.
“The pace in the third stint was closer to Yuki (Tsunoda), and he was able to further improve towards the end of the race on the medium compound, but it wasn’t good enough to catch the cars in front.”
Now to Japan where Lawson will compete in the final two rounds at the Suzuka International Racing Course 27-29 October. The Kiwi driver sits second overall on the points able, just eight behind leader Ritomo Miyata.
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