Liam Lawson's Intention to Wrap Up Super Formula Title Challenge Following Alpha Tauri F1 Reserve Duties
Currently, Liam Lawson finds himself in a de facto three-way competition for the Super Formula championship, with the Suzuka circuit hosting the season finale at the close of October.
Lawson holds the second position in the rankings with 86 points, trailing championship leader Ritomo Miyata by eight points and leading the reigning champion Tomoki Nojiri by two points. The Suzuka double-header offers a maximum of 46 points up for grabs.
This creates a scheduling conflict with Formula 1's Mexican Grand Prix, potentially leaving AlphaTauri without a reserve driver for that weekend. Lawson typically assumed this role when Daniel Ricciardo stepped in for Nyck de Vries at the Italian team.
Lawson is confident that there is ample time for Ricciardo to fully recover, as the Australian is recuperating from a hand injury sustained during a practice crash at Zandvoort. Ricciardo is expected to make his return in Qatar.
"At this stage, yeah, I think [I will finish the Super Formula season]," said Lawson. "I think there's plenty of time before our last round for Daniel to come back. Right now it's race by race here, but I should have enough time."
Following the previous round at Motegi, Lawson quickly transitioned to Zandvoort to assume his usual role as AlphaTauri's reserve driver, which unexpectedly led to him stepping into the race seat in place of Ricciardo.
Lawson admitted that the swift turnaround in preparation for a race drive on Friday night meant he forgot to inform his Super Formula team, Team Mugen, of his situation.
"I never told them - it all happened very, very quickly! I've spoken to them since then, but it wasn't something I actually told them!" he revealed.
However, Lawson expressed gratitude for Team Mugen's support throughout the season, emphasizing how it contributed to his readiness for such an opportunity.
Reflecting on his initial two F1 races, Lawson acknowledged the substantial adjustment required and the need to learn rapidly. He found Monza to be more straightforward due to his familiarity with the track and full preparation. However, he found the subsequent race in Zandvoort to be more challenging.
He explained, "It's not really one thing [to get used to]. It's a lot of things. The car is probably the biggest thing alone, but it's stuff that comes with it, like tyres, different compounds; running inters at Zandvoort, I hadn't done that before. Working with a much bigger team too, so I think it's a lot of things."
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