Kiwi F1 driver Liam Lawson is hoping for another good result at the Las Vegas Grand Prix this weekend, a race he described as his "toughest" last season.
The Racing Bulls driver enters the weekend off the back of a good result at the Brazilian Grand Prix earlier this month, crossing the line seventh and taking a haul of six points – helping solidify his team's place in the Constructors Championship standings, 10 points ahead of Aston Martin.
Asked by media if he was hoping to pull a similar result on the streets of Vegas, Lawson said: “It’s a very different track, it’s probably the most different track that we go to this year."
He described it as a "challenging" and "tough" race.
“Last year was very, very tough for us."
Lawson finished 16th out of the 18 cars that completed the race last year. He said his team had spent a lot of time reviewing last year's race data to find ways he could improve.
“It was probably the toughest race I had in the car last year," he said. “So I’m sure it’s going to be challenging."
He said the speed of his VCARB 02 had been “very good” across the season.
“Hopefully that follows through this weekend as well.”
A good result for the Kiwi this weekend will come at a crucial time for the Kiwi, as he battles to prove he belongs in F1.
Red Bull's Max Verstappen is the only driver in the Red Bull faction on the grid to have a confirmed drive for next year.
It's believed Lawson's teammate, Isack Hadjar, will be promoted to the senior team next year. It's also been reported that high-ups at the team are looking at getting F2 driver and Red Bull junior Arvid Lindblad into F1 next season.
That leaves Lawson and Red Bull's Yuki Tsunoda without a certain future in the sport.
Lawson said last week's points finish was "very important" for his future in F1.
He made just one pitstop last week, fighting off a host of contenders for seventh place, including Hadjar in a battle that saw the duo make contact with each other on the final lap – narrowly avoiding disaster.
“It was something that definitely wasn’t the plan heading into the race," Lawson said about Sao Paulo.
"It’s always nice when you try something like that and it works out. It only just worked out.
“And we would love to carry that momentum forward into the last couple of races,” he said.
Lawson will hit the track for practice today and tomorrow before qualifying at 5pm on Saturday NZT, then it's lights out for the race at 5pm on Sunday.
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