The Kiwi completed his planned program across Friday’s two sessions at Albert Park as the Faenza-based squad gathered valuable early data on its new 2026 car.
“We had a very productive day today. We pretty much completed our run plan and overall I feel happy with our speed,” Lawson said.
Lawson spent much of the day focused on longer runs and data gathering, finishing both practice sessions in 13th place as the team worked through its program.
Despite limited real-world mileage heading into the season opener, Lawson said the car arrived in Melbourne in encouraging shape after much of its development had been carried out through simulations.
“Of course, we’re trying to improve as much as we can, but to come to Australia with a strong car developed from simulations and limited running puts us in a promising position,” he added.
The 24-year-old also highlighted the increased complexity of the new generation of Formula 1 machinery, admitting there is significantly more for drivers to manage behind the wheel compared to previous seasons.
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“The analysing of these new cars feels much deeper and there’s a lot we have to do behind the wheel this year compared to previous years, so we’re continuously learning,” he said.
Lawson added that rookie teammate Arvid Lindblad also made a positive contribution during his first Grand Prix weekend as a full-time Formula 1 driver.
“Arvid has had a positive day today too, giving us really helpful data across both cars which we’ve been working on,” Lawson said.
“Huge thanks to the team who have done a brilliant job in producing a strong package and getting the car to where it is today.”
Team principal Alan Permane said it had been a smooth start to the weekend for Racing Bulls despite a minor issue that limited Lindblad’s running early in the day.
“It’s been a straightforward Friday for us and to be able to run a normal program with a brand new car has been good,” Permane said.
“We’ve still got work to do to improve the balance, but the car is responding well to changes and I’m sure we’ll make some more over night to assess in FP3.”
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