Lawson capitalised on Formula 1’s first Sprint weekend of the season in Shanghai to score seventh in both the Sprint and the Grand Prix, collecting eight points despite admitting the circuit did not play to the strengths of the VCARB 03.
Speaking to Speedcafe and other media ahead of this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka, the New Zealander reflected on how valuable it was to leave Shanghai with points despite a car that was not particularly competitive across the weekend.
“Obviously – touch wood – so far, it’s been quite good reliability,” Lawson said.
“We obviously had a tough start in Melbourne in the race just from an issue on the start line, but in terms of the rest of the reliability it’s been okay.”
Reflecting on the result, Lawson said the high attrition rate in China highlighted the importance of taking advantage whenever opportunities arise.
“Obviously in China a lot of cars, I think seven cars maybe, didn’t finish,” he said.
“So at this point of the season it’s really important to basically make the most of those races and that’s really what we did in China.”
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Lawson added that Racing Bulls focused on executing the elements it could control despite lacking outright pace.
“We played a good strategy,” he explained.
“Basically, all the things in our control, obviously outside the performance, which we try to get the most out of, we maximised, which is what we’re trying to do each weekend.”
While the results in China provided encouragement, Lawson admitted the performance itself was far from dominant and required a strong recovery after a difficult qualifying.
“To be honest, we weren’t very fast through the weekend. We qualified quite badly and it definitely wasn’t a track that suited us, so we definitely made the best out of it,” he said.
“I think at the start of the race we were aiming to try and get to the points. We definitely didn’t expect to finish where we did.”
The Kiwi said Suzuka would present another fresh challenge, particularly as drivers continue adapting to F1’s radically different 2026 cars, which have forced a rethink in how races are approached from behind the wheel.
“They’re very different for us to drive at the moment,” Lawson said.
“They’re very different to get used to each track.
“I think the big difference is we used to go into a weekend spending pretty much all of our time thinking about setting up the car and optimising the car balance.
“Right now, it’s really energy management. We spend so much time talking about trying to manage the energy and get the most out of that because there’s so much lap time in it.”
He said the change had also altered how drivers approach racing situations compared to previous seasons.
“The racing is quite different as well,” Lawson explained.
“We have to basically use a lot of different tools and drive a lot differently to try and overtake and defend, and it’s something that we’re still learning.
“So far, because it’s new, it’s obviously quite different and difficult, to be honest. So, it’s something that we’re also getting used to.”
He added that the strategic side of driving has intensified with the new regulations, with mistakes in energy management carrying bigger consequences.
“Yeah, I think so,” Lawson said when asked if drivers must think more strategically while racing.
“I think there are just more consequences when you get it wrong. If you use too much energy or something like this, it can be quite punishing.
“So we definitely have to… you’re doing a lot more thinking, I would say, when you’re driving.”
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