Liam Lawson has concluded Super Formula official pre-season testing at Suzuka with the fifth fastest time on Day 2 of running.
His best run of 1:36.663 was set in the afternoon session and saw him finish just shy of half a second off the pace of the fastest time completed by former Formula 1 driver Kamui Kobayashi.
His strong pace was also evident on the first day of testing where he set the ninth best time, also in the afternoon . This was the best of all rookies in the field.
His Mugen teammate Tomoki Nojiri was fastest on Day 1 and topped Lawson by .8 seconds.
It wasn’t to be for Nojiri in today’s running, however, the Japanese driver crashing early in the afternoon proceedings resulting in a brief red flag. He was able to return to the track for the final 15 minutes of running but was unable to improve his best lap which left him 16th.
Nojiri is two-time Super Formula defending champion which puts Lawson in great company as he works towards a potential Formula 1 drive next year.
Fifth fastest shows Red Bull’s reserve driver is right in the mix heading into the campaign which begins at Fuji Speedway on April 7-9.
The pre-season hit out at Suzuka was the final official track time for teams until the opening round’s first practice session.
Header Image: Lawson in action at Suzuka in December’s testing session. Photo: Super Formula
