Lawson optimistic despite frustrating Italian GP

Monza marked only the second F1 outing for the New Zealander at the historic circuit, having previously deputised for Daniel Ricciardo in 2023.

However, the low-downforce circuit posed difficulties, with Lawson finishing 17th in Friday practice after setup changes that “didn’t go as planned.”

Qualifying offered little reprieve, as Lawson ran into dirty air from a car ahead and understeered off through the first Lesmo, leaving him 18th on the grid.

Despite a strong start, an alternate race strategy designed to gain positions failed to pay off, and he ultimately finished 14th.

“It was a tough race starting from the back,” Lawson said.

“We tried something different with the strategy and took a gamble, but unfortunately, it didn’t pay off.

“We were close, but a few cars came out ahead of us on fresh tyres, and we got stuck behind them, which was really frustrating.

“Had we cleared that pack, it could’ve been a much easier race. The car has been quick, so it’s disappointing to come away with no points.

“On my side, we didn’t quite maximise the weekend. That said, it’s not as bad as it looks, and we’ll look to turn things around in Baku.”

Lawson also reflected on Monza’s unique characteristics, noting the car’s limitations in the low-downforce configuration.

“Monza’s very unique, it’s very low downforce,” he said.

“I don’t think the car was necessarily slow, but compared to the previous week in Zandvoort [for the Dutch GP], it wasn’t as strong.

“But we also had our fair share of issues, which didn’t help us, so it’s probably not as bad as it looks.”

The Kiwi’s weekend was further complicated by a clash with Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda, who claimed significant damage to his car during their battle for 13th.

Looking ahead, Lawson said we was optimistic about the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

The Baku Street Circuit, with its mix of tight corners and the longest straight on the F1 calendar, offers a different challenge, but one he is familiar with, having scored a podium at the circuit in F2 in 2022.

“We’ll run the simulations and try and come up with the best balance we can, and then see how the car is there,” Lawson said.

“Last year it was a pretty tough race for the team, but hopefully this year, with how the car has been recently, we can have a strong weekend.”

Lawson’s 14th-place finish in Monza marked his second consecutive race without points, while teammate Isack Hadjar secured a point after a recovery drive from the back of the grid.