New Zealand's Liam Lawson is again filling in for the injured Isack Hadjar at this weekend's Italian Grand Prix, having made an unexpected return to the senior team at Zandvoort.
Lawson made an encouraging start by finishing fourth in FP1, although teammate Max Verstappen sat out the session as Ayumu Iwasa completed Red Bull's mandatory rookie running. The full-time field returned for FP2, where Lawson ended the session 12th with a 1m23.660s.
That left him just 0.283s behind Verstappen in ninth as Red Bull devoted much of Lawson's running to gathering race data rather than outright performance.
"It was okay. It's been a productive day," Lawson told Sky Sports F1. "We spent most of FP2 just long running. So we did a short run at the start and felt okay. And then we just did two long runs on the soft and the hard. So for me, it's good learning."
Lawson said the focus on longer stints was particularly useful after feeling his race pace had been a weaker area during his first weekend back with Red Bull at Zandvoort. "I think I struggled more in Zandvoort in the race versus quali," Lawson said. "So I'll try and learn what I can from it."
Monza's long straights have also placed a premium on slipstreaming, with several teams experimenting with cars running together during Friday practice. McLaren was among those seen working in formation during FP2, while Verstappen, Kimi Antonelli and Yuki Tsunoda also circulated closely together at stages.
Asked whether Red Bull could employ similar tactics between himself and Verstappen during qualifying, Lawson said the team had yet to settle on its approach. "It's something we'll discuss and we'll come up with a plan."
How aggressively Red Bull approaches Lawson's qualifying could also be influenced by his starting position, with Sky Sports F1 commentator David Croft suggesting during Friday's broadcast that the New Zealander could take an engine change ahead of the race. Such a move could result in a grid penalty and leave Lawson starting further back regardless of where he qualifies, although Red Bull has yet to confirm whether a change will be made.
Whatever Red Bull ultimately decides, Lawson has another intriguing benchmark this weekend in the form of his regular Racing Bulls team, which also showed strong pace on Friday. Arvid Lindblad finished seventh in FP2, two places ahead of Verstappen, while Tsunoda was 10th after again taking over Lawson's seat for the weekend.
Lawson said the performance did not surprise him given the progress Racing Bulls has made throughout the season. "Not a surprise in terms of the progress that VCARB's making. We've been very strong all year," he said. "And the development that's been coming, everything's been working well. So it doesn't surprise me. It's obviously exciting as well for me to know that when I go back, it's still a good car."
Despite the similar lap times produced by Red Bull and Racing Bulls around Monza, Lawson said the characteristics of the two cars are distinct, and he will focus on extracting the most from the RB21 while helping the team prepare for Sunday's race.
Baca Juga
Red Bull mengakui masalah keseimbangan pada mobil setelah keluhan radio Max Verstappen di GP Italia. Pierre Wache menjelaskan tantangan yang dihadapi tim di Monza.
Ferrari menghadapi dilema di Monza: menambah kecepatan di trek lurus atau memperbaiki keseimbangan SF-26 yang dikeluhkan Hamilton, sementara Mercedes masih memimpin.
Charles Leclerc memulai GP Italia di Monza dengan memimpin FP1 dan P2 di FP2. Ia mengaku tahu kelemahan SF-26 dan fokus memperbaikinya.
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