Liam Lawson's Formula One practice session in Mexico ended in flames when his brakes caught on fire with just minutes left on the clock.
Though speaking to 1News via Zoom, Lawson said it looked 'much more dramatic' on TV.
"We have carbon brakes that run extremely hot, close to 1000 degrees hot," he said.
"So, when we're pushing and driving hard out usually when we come into the box at the end of the lap we have to cool the brakes down before we stop normally."
But due to an unexpected issue, he was told by his crew to stop suddenly leaving the brakes red hot - causing them to catch on fire.
The 20-year-old said he felt "low-key bad about it", but even his team said there was nothing he could do.
Lawson was also a little frustrated about the delay caused by crews extinguishing the burning car.
"These cars are so complex that reliability is super tough and just to get two cars through an entire race can be quite the challenge so this stuff is completely normal," said Lawson.
The Kiwi driver wasn't the only one to run into trouble. Mexico's high altitude meant the track's surface was smooth but slippery. Experienced F1 drivers Charles Le-Clerc and Max Verstappen also ran into difficulty.
Despite having his session ended early - albeit by just a few minutes - Liam Lawson felt the session was a "dream run" and is feeling more and more comfortable in the F1 seat.
"Eventually when the day comes and I hopefully get the opportunity to race in Formula One, it definitely will have helped to have all this experience," said Lawson.
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