Liam Lawson will discover the Las Vegas circuit this weekend. The RB F1 driver, who will sport a special livery and suit, explains the very little experience he has on the Strip layout in the Nevada city.
“We do the usual preparations on the simulator. Apart from that, I drove a Mustang here last year for a few laps as part of the Hot Laps. So this is my experience of the track in real life” Lawson said.
“But yes, we are making the usual preparations. Obviously the temperature this weekend will probably be the biggest factor. It's very cold. So, yes, I'm sure it will be a challenge.”
“But I'm excited about racing in Vegas. It looks pretty cool. I'd like to think that when I'm on the Strip I'll notice everything, but at the same time I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't the case. I don't know what it's like for you, but yeah, it's exciting.”
AlphaTauri had one of its worst weekends of the season in 2023, but Lawson is convinced that it will be possible to do better: “Honestly, we struggled a lot here last year. So it's not a good start.”
“But at the same time, we've made a lot of changes since then, and hopefully we understand better how to improve the car this weekend. So we're optimistic. I think this type of temperature is a game-changer. It's a lot of differences.”
“So, yes, I think we are optimistic. Obviously, as you said, we are in a very tight fight for sixth place, and our goal is to try to score more points this weekend with both cars.”
After three solid first races, he will contest as many during this last hat-trick of the season. The New Zealander was asked about the progress of his discussions for 2025: “It’s obvious that a lot is expected of us and the season is not over yet.”
“So even though there are indications of what they want me to do and what the future holds for me, I don't have anything confirmed yet. So for me it's about to concentrate on the races to come. This weekend is the most important for the moment, then it will be next weekend's turn. I will have a clearer vision after the season.
Yuki Tsunoda is not worried when he thinks back to the very difficult Las Vegas race in 2023, because he recalls that the car has completely changed. The Japanese is eager to ride on the Strip.
“It’s a different car this year. We had a difficult experience last year but it’s a different story” Tsunoda said. “Riding at these temperatures is special, it is for everyone, and we learned things last year. We hope to be more efficient.”
“There's a lot of hype around the Grand Prix. So far the event looks even better than last year, so I'm looking forward to getting back on track here, and we'll see. I've slept well so far and I'm happy it's sometimes complicated to ride after waking up during the day, but so far so good.”
He is also confident of regaining a place in the championship, as Alpine overtook RB F1 and Haas in Brazil: “It's quite boring! But it's racing, it's motorsport, they had a great performance in the last race. We were a bit unlucky with the red flag, but that's how it is “We still have time to score points and surpass them.”
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