New Zealand’s Liam Lawson says he’s looking forward to taking the track at Monza this weekend, having spent time preparing for the race, something he didn’t have as much of an opportunity to do at Zandvoort following his late call-up after Daniel Ricciardo was injured in FP2.
“In Monza, it’s going to be nice to have the full build-up to the weekend preparation-wise, being able to drive in all the practice sessions,” said Lawson. “For Zandvoort, I flew in from Japan on Thursday night after racing there the previous weekend.
“Obviously, you’re always prepared as much as you can be for these things, but it’s so unlikely that you never really expect it to happen, and then it did!
“The support from the team was amazing. They did everything possible to prepare me as much as possible in the limited time we had. Even during the race, Pierre (Hamelin, Race Engineer) was super supportive with so much information, basically walking me through it, and that really made my life a lot easier, but obviously, there are always things you can improve on.
Lawson battled the elements in the Netherlands, overcoming a lack of track time and horrendous weather conditions to finish a commendable 13th. However, the Kiwi recognises things will be different this time out, with a significant lead-up allowing him to prepare better for the event.
“In the race, we had every condition thrown at us, so that was difficult at the time, but also a good and positive experience, which has helped me get ready for Monza,” he says.
“Apart from that, I was in the simulator this week. Even though we didn’t need to do much playing around with the seat to make me comfortable in the car, there are a few things we have looked at for this weekend.
“Monza is a lot lower downforce, so I’ll have to get used to that. Having not driven a Formula 1 car there, it will still be quite a big challenge, but it is more of a straightforward circuit, and I’ve driven it a few times already. Regardless, there’ll be a lot more to learn, more to improve on, and a lot from Zandvoort to reflect on for this week.
“Going to Monza with an Italian team is also going to be special. If I think back to last weekend, Formula 1 is just such a different world – the difference between walking into the circuit on Friday compared to walking into the circuit on Saturday, I’ve never experienced anything like that, specifically that level of attention. Being a home race in Monza, I imagine it’s going to be even more significant there.
“It’s amazing to be doing this. It’s been my dream since before I can even remember, so it’s very cool to have this opportunity, and I’m just going to try to make the most of it.”
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