The high-speed street circuit has a fearsome reputation for punishing small mistakes.
Yuki Tsunoda fell victim to that in the closing minutes of Free Practice 2 on Friday after brushing the apex wall at the final corner, sending him careering into the concrete barrier on corner exit.
The seemingly innocuous touch of the barrier led to an impact large enough to see the Medical Car deployed.
“It was busy,” Lawson said after his first taste of F1 machinery at the venue.
“It was good. It’s nice to drive an F1 car around here, it’s the first time I’ve done that.
“It lives up to the hype, to be fair.
“It’s very fast. It’s very cool.”
Lawson ended the day 14th fastest for Racing Bulls, just under two-tenths away from teammate Isack Hadjar.
The pair lost time during the opening hour of running after the call was made to change the rear wing on both cars.
Racing Bulls has a new rear and beam wing this weekend, both circuit-specific, with a focus on reducing drag.
It also has a new front wing, which has been trimmed to balance the changes made at the rear of the car.
“We had a productive day,” Lawson said.
‘Did a lot of different things, tyres-wise, test items-wise, to try and learn what we can for tomorrow.
“Pace-wise, it’s hard to tell right now,” he added.
“We definitely need to find some time relative to some of our competitors in the midfield.
“Alpine looked very strong this morning, looked strong again in P2; Williams are fast.
“We probably need to make a step, but obviously that’s what we’re working on now.”
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