Lawson adopted a different strategy to most, starting on the hard tyres before switching onto the softs.

The bulk of the field elected for the medium rubber at the race start, taking their one and only pit stop around mid-distance in the 53-lap race where they switched onto the hard rubber.

Lawson stopped slightly later, swapping onto a set of softs with 20 laps remaining.

“It would have been very tough from where we were [to do anything differently], but it definitely didn’t work,” he said of his strategy.

“We’ll review going forward, but obviously on the other side, Isack [Hadjar] scored points today, which is great for him.

“We did a really good job this weekend, so I think from our side as well there’s been good things; pace has been good – unfortunately not right when it needed to be in Qualifying – but I think overall there’s still things to take from it.”

Cool conditions and a track littered with damp patches made the decision to start on hard tyres a bold one.

Tyre warm-up proved difficult and Lawson was then left without the initial pace of the pack ahead, dropping him behind Yuki Tsunoda on the opening lap before falling off the back of the Red Bull driver during the opening stint.

Despite suggestions to the contrary, there were no issues with the New Zealander’s DRS.

His switch to softs failed to net results with overtaking difficult around the Suzuka circuit and he ultimately lost another spot to Carlos Sainz, who’d adopted the same hard-soft strategy for Williams with only marginally better results.

Verstappen fends off McLaren challenge to win Japanese GP

“Just struggled for grip first lap,” Lawson said.

“It was quite cold this weekend so it was tricky, but where we were anyway, it was going to be tough.

“Where we finished today it’s not even where we started,’ he added.

“It was just something we tried, a bit of a gamble, and it didn’t work.

“Hopefully it at least helped the other side of the garage, which I think it did, which was obviously good for Isack.

“Obviously in future, we want to have both cars up there.”

Lawson’s second race back at Racing Bulls comes this weekend, with the Japanese Grand Prix the first leg of a triple-header that takes the circus to Bahrain and then on to Saudi Arabia.

The Bahrain International Circuit hosted pre-season testing, where the 23-year-old completed a day and a half of running with Red Bull.

However, this weekend’s event will be Lawson’s first Bahrain Grand Prix, and the 15th race of his F1 career.

“In general, the car has been pretty good this weekend,” he said of his first week back with Racing Bulls.

“Obviously it takes a bit to adjust to get used to it.

“There are points where I felt very, very comfortable; P2 was strong for us and I think Q1 for us was quite good as well.

“But all these cars have a small window. Maybe this one’s a bit bigger but we go to a new track next week, a new style of track, let’s say, compared to this place.

“We’ll keep chipping away.”