Liam Lawson looking forward to full F1 weekend experience in Monza

Liam Lawson says he is looking forward to his return to the Formula One grid in Monza with the chance to experience a full race weekend.

Liam Lawson will return for his second outing with AlphaTauri at the Italian Grand Prix. (Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool)

The Kiwi will substitute for Daniel Ricciardo once again with the Australian still on the mend after surgery from his broken wrist.

After Lawson’s rushed call-up for the Dutch Grand Prix, he is looking forward to the full build-up and preparation for the race in Italy.

“For Zandvoort, I flew in from Japan on Thursday night after racing there the previous weekend,” said Lawson.

“Obviously, you’re always prepared as much as you can be for these things, but it’s so unlikely that you never really expect it to happen, and then it did!”

“The support from the team was amazing. They did everything possible to prepare me as much as possible in the limited time we had. Even during the race, Pierre (Hamelin, Race Engineer) was super supportive with so much information, basically walking me through it, and that really made my life a lot easier, but obviously, there are always things you can improve on.”

“In the race, we had every condition thrown at us, so that was difficult at the time, but also a good and positive experience, which has helped me get ready for Monza.”

Lawson has returned to the simulator to maximise his preparation for the next grand prix and is preparing for the challenge of a low downforce setup.

“Having not driven a Formula 1 car there, it will still be quite a big challenge, but it is more of a straightforward circuit, and it’s one I’ve driven a few times already. Regardless, there’ll be a lot more to learn, a lot more to improve on, and a lot from Zandvoort to reflect on to use for this week.”

With the team’s links to Red Bull, it is often forgotten that Scuderia AlphaTauri is also based in Italy, with the team missing out on their home grand prix at Emilia-Romagna earlier this year.

Between his new status as a driver and the expectation of a home crowd, Lawson is expecting the experience to be further amplified compared to his Zandvoort debut.

“Being a home race in Monza, I imagine it’s going to be even more significant there. It’s amazing to be doing this. It’s been my dream since before I can even remember, so it’s very cool to have this opportunity, and I’m just going to try to make the most of it.”

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