Liam Lawson is in a bullish mood heading into Singapore this weekend. Image: XPB Images
Speaking to Speedcafe in Singapore, the New Zealander reflected on his standout weekend in Baku, where he converted a third-place qualifying into a fifth-place finish.
“I think it’s a very, very cool result and I think for me, it’s more just being very, very happy for the team, for rewarding with all the hard work that they’ve been doing,” Lawson said.
“But I think at the same time, for us, it’s a sport that moves so quickly that we have to basically straightaway put our focus on the next one.
“I think for me, especially at the point of the season where these results are important, and this time of the year is very important, it very quickly went on to focussing on Singapore.”
The 23-year-old acknowledged the challenge of predicting performance on the Marina Bay Street Circuit but expressed confidence in the team’s recent form.
“Across the board it’s been pretty consistent and pretty fast recently, which has been very positive,” he added.
“It’s very hard to say right now exactly where we’ll be just with how close it is this year, but it’s a track I enjoy. It’s a track that the car’s been good at in the past. So yeah, I’m optimistic.”
Lawson returns to Singapore for the first time since 2023, when he scored his first F1 points with a ninth-place finish and impressed in qualifying by outpacing then-world champion Max Verstappen in just his third F1 race.
He said it was hard to believe two years had passed since that milestone, reflecting on how much he had grown as a driver in that time.
“It’s crazy to have been two years already since racing here and scoring those points,” Lawson added. “That’s crazy to me.
“It’s been a very intense couple of years and obviously a lot happened.
“But for me it’s just exciting to be back and I think most importantly two years ago I was trying to secure a seat.
“If I could see myself now I’d be happy that I was racing, but obviously at this point of the year, it’s about securing the future as well and that’s what we’re focussed on.”
Adding a personal touch to the weekend, Lawson will race in Singapore with a specially designed helmet featuring New Zealand-inspired artwork.
He said the project had been a long time in the making and reflected the input and creativity of fans back home.
“It’s something that we’ve been looking to do for quite a while,” he said.
“To have a New Zealand competition basically for New Zealanders to enter with their helmet, come up with a design, a New Zealand themed design for this race and the winner would get to come basically for the weekend.
“I went through literally every single design and basically this came out on top.
“There were some really cool ones that came in, some very unique New Zealand themed helmets that I was very close to picking, but this one, I think, is all around is number one.”
The helmet, created by Christchurch father-of-three Ian Ebbs from a nationwide fan competition, incorporates iconic New Zealand imagery and Lawson’s personal interests, bringing a vibrant, uniquely Kiwi touch to the Singapore grid.
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