Lawson enjoying 'quite tricky' Singapore challenge

Liam Lawson has said he is enjoying the challenge of competing at the Marina Bay Circuit after successfully navigating the first day of Singapore Grand Prix practice.

The Singapore weekend is known to be one of the most difficult events of the year due to the physicality of the circuit combined with the hot and humid conditions.

Lawson, in just his second full Grand Prix weekend subbing for the injured Daniel Ricciardo, and on his first visit to Marina Bay ended the second practice session in 12th place, two-tenths ahead of teammate Yuki Tsunoda.

With just one more session left to run before qualifying, Lawson says final practice carries great importance as he continues to get up to speed at the track.

"Initially, it was quite tricky, but I think that’s expected with how this track is," the New Zealander said.

"But I enjoyed it, still learning a lot, still getting familiar with it. We need to make the most of FP3.

"So far it has been OK, we’ve just been gradually building, basically. But there’s still a bit more to come."

AlphaTauri brought sizeable upgrades to the race weekend as it looks to boost its performance in the final third of the season.

While Lawson said that the new parts are an improvement, he asserts that their true worth can’t be realised at a street circuit.

"I think it’s definitely an improvement but also on this style of circuit, it’s hard to notice," he said.

"The gains we find potentially won’t be as big as some more traditional circuits, but it’s definitely a bit of an improvement.

"With something that’s new, we have to try and find how to maximise that. That’s what we’re working on."