Motorsport: Liam Lawson but to be taught if Daniel Ricciardo arrival at Purple Bull modifications System 1 function as Japanese marketing campaign awaits

Liam Lawson has no time to waste.

After two seasons in System 2, the 20-year-old Kiwi driver will commerce the circuits of Europe and the Center East for the nine-round Japanese Tremendous System
championship as he seems to take one other step in direction of incomes a seat on the System 1 grid.

It’s a championship that has been used as a launching pad by F1 titans Purple Bull and their junior drivers prior to now. Pierre Gasly completed second within the sequence in 2017, and earned a full-time seat with Purple Bull’s sister F1 crew Scuderia AlphaTauri (Toro Rosso on the time) for the subsequent season.

Gasly and Lawson had been teammates at F1 crew AlphaTauri in 2022 – with Lawson the crew’s reserve driver – and gave the younger Kiwi an thought of what to anticipate along with his change of surroundings.

“It’s an ideal step for me to do,” Lawson instructed the Herald. “System 2, I haven’t loved an excessive amount of. It’s been fairly a battle and it is a nice step in direction of System 1; the automotive’s quicker and the championship’s very high-level which is cool. I’m excited.

“I spoke to Pierre earlier within the yr about Tremendous System, and he defined how a lot of a problem it was for him to go and do. I feel it’s very robust and most overseas drivers who go there actually battle to start out off with.

“I would like to essentially put together for subsequent yr as a result of it’s going to be laborious to stroll in and do nicely right away.”

Though driving in Japan subsequent yr, Lawson will keep his function as a reserve driver for Purple Bull’s F1 crew. Precisely what that function will entail is but to be outlined to Lawson, nonetheless, and would seemingly tackle a distinct type following the arrival of eight-time F1 race winner Daniel Ricciardo, who joined the crew in a reserve capability.

“I’ll discover out fairly quickly,” Lawson stated of what could be anticipated of him with Purple Bull in 2023. “For now, the precedence is for me to essentially deal with Tremendous System, however to have the ability to develop expertise alongside the System 1 crew is de facto essential as nicely.”

Lawson was in Japan testing along with his new crew – defending champions Staff Mugen – earlier this month to get a really feel for his new automobile and the crew operates. He stated whereas it felt extra skilled than System 2, the language barrier could be one thing he needed to discover a method round as quickly as potential.

His new crew is fully Japanese and, whereas his engineers converse some English, he admitted it could take some planning for them to all be on the identical web page.

“What we’ve been doing within the take a look at is determining phrases that we would assume are the identical phrase however we’re utilizing them otherwise, and attempt to use the identical phrases. For instance, issues like a bump within the street, I might say a bump whereas they might say a spot. Issues like that, simply making an attempt to make use of the identical phrases and making lists to attempt make that simpler.”

In addition to getting some information from Gasly, Lawson has been leaning on fellow Kiwi and former Tremendous System championship winner Nick Cassidy for recommendation on how one can capitalise on the chance forward of him.

“He mastered it in Japan; he mastered the way in which of how to reach that championship and the nation, and he’s going to be an enormous a part of serving to me subsequent yr in any method he can,” Lawson stated of Cassidy.

“It’s very totally different and I do know it took him a bit to get used to – because it does for everybody – however I simply don’t have time to get used to it. I must know the whole lot I can from all these totally different individuals who did grasp it and be capable of attempt make it work right away.”

Whereas Lawson doesn’t have the strain of needing to earn factors in direction of an excellent license – which is required to drive F1 – as he already has one, there’ll nonetheless be a excessive expectation on him from the Purple Bull crew as they proceed to have a look at Lawson as a future F1 driver.

Lawson was believed to be within the combine to fill the seat vacated by Gasly at AlphaTauri for 2023, with the French driver becoming a member of Alpine. Nevertheless, AlphaTauri crew principal Franz Tost famous a scarcity of expertise labored in opposition to the Kiwi driver.

“The plan is System 1 seats as quickly as potential, however when that may be, it’s unattainable to inform. I’d prefer it to be on the finish of subsequent yr, however I wished it to be on the finish of this yr as nicely and the yr earlier than that I wished it final yr.

“However on the identical time, there are advantages of doing one other season with out System 1 as a result of after I do get there, I wish to be as prepared as potential and there’s positively no hurt in doing one thing else. In Tremendous System, I’ll be taught and be extra prepared subsequent yr than I used to be this yr.”

The 2023 F1 season will get underway in Bahrain in early March, with the Tremendous System season starting in Oyama in early April.