Liam Lawson was encouraged after his first day of running in Sepang. Image: XPB Images
The New Zealander finished inside the top 10 in both Friday practice sessions, taking eighth in FP1 with a 1m39.106s before improving to a 1m38.496s to finish ninth in FP2.
Lawson completed 52 laps across the two sessions as Racing Bulls showed competitive pace throughout the day, with the team also making progress with the car between the opening and second practice sessions.
While enjoying the circuit, Lawson highlighted the combination of extreme heat and heavy tyre degradation as two of the biggest challenges facing drivers across the weekend.
“It’s been a fairly positive day here at the Bahrain GP. The track is fun to drive but very hard on tyres, particularly given the fact it hasn’t been resurfaced in a few years,” Lawson said.
“It’s also extremely hot here in Malaysia, which is physically tough. However, our training and preparation should put us in a strong position ahead of qualifying tomorrow, where tyre management will be key.”
Racing Bulls began the weekend competitively, with Lawson and teammate Arvid Lindblad finishing eighth and ninth respectively in the opening session.
The order tightened considerably in FP2, although Lawson again remained inside the top 10 while Lindblad finished 11th.
Team principal Alan Permane said Racing Bulls had been pleased with both cars and felt its package moved forward between the two sessions.
“It’s been a positive day for us today, we’re happy with the performance of both cars and feel we made a step up in between the sessions,” Permane said.
“The track is a lot smoother than we anticipated, so we made some set-up changes ahead of FP2 to make the most of those conditions.”
Tyre degradation emerged as one of the major themes of the day, with the hot Malaysian conditions placing additional importance on how teams manage their compounds over longer runs.
Lindblad also highlighted the likely strategic impact, particularly with the possibility of changing weather adding another variable to the weekend.
“We’ve had a good couple of practice sessions today. This track is quite different to the others we’ve been to recently, although funnily enough, it’s actually quite similar to Bahrain,” Lindblad said.
“So far, I’m really enjoying this track because there are plenty of opportunities around here, and the rain can be very unpredictable.
“Tyre degradation will also be a big talking point, so we’ll see what happens as there’s likely to be a mixture of strategies as all the teams continue to collect data.”
Lindblad faces a very different qualifying outlook to Lawson after Racing Bulls elected to change several power unit components on his car.
The rookie carries a 30-place grid penalty and will therefore start from the rear regardless of where he qualifies.
Permane said the team had already expected to make the change at some point in the coming races and believed Sepang offered the best opportunity to absorb the penalty.
“Arvid’s engine change was something we knew we would need to do in the next few races, and we felt this was the most strategic place to do it,” he said.
“With the tyre deg being quite high, there’s certainly some overtaking possibilities to be had, so we feel like we’ve made the right decision.”
Qualifying for the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia begins at 4pm local time on Saturday (6pm AEST).