Kiwi F1 driver Liam Lawson says he is experiencing "a lot of unknowns" ahead of the first Grand Prix of the season this weekend.
Lights out in Melbourne on Sunday afternoon will be the first time drivers, teams, and fans get to see the newly designed cars, under fresh regulations, go wheel-to-wheel.
The new cars are smaller and lighter, with active aerodynamics featuring moveable elements that let drivers adjust how their cars move around corners and speed down straights.
Pre-season testing was complicated for most teams as they came to grips with the new car philosophy, with today's first practice session expected to reveal who will do well and who won't in the early part of the season.
Liam Lawson was in the Breakfast studio ahead of this weekend’s season-opener in Melbourne. (Source: Breakfast)
Heading into his second season as a full-time driver, Lawson, who drives for Racing Bulls, said the camp was experiencing "a lot of unknowns right now".
“It’s obviously exciting to see what these new cars bring, but for us it’s definitely a different feeling than when I came in last year.”
He said the start of last year was easier, as all teams had a good grip on the cars, but this year, "we're still figuring it out".
“It’s going to be very interesting.
“You’ll see pretty quickly where everybody sits.”
Lawson said the biggest issue Racing Bulls was experiencing with their VCARB 03 was energy management and figuring out how to make it last a lap. It's something most teams found difficult during pre-season testing.
“We just don’t have enough energy to basically do a lap with full power, with full throttle, like we would normally want to.
“So somewhere we have to save some energy, because otherwise we run out before the end of the lap."
He said it would be a challenge at all tracks, but particularly Melbourne, which is fast and “full throttle” most of the way.
“There will be a best way to do it that everybody will adapt to and be figuring out, it’s just who can do that the quickest.”
He said that in a “year like this”, there was potential for a midfield team like Racing Bulls to pounce on opportunities and deliver some surprise results.
“There’s definitely opportunity, but the faster you are, the better you’re gonna score, mainly, and that’s what we’re gonna focus on.”
As well as getting a new car, Lawson has a new teammate, British-Swedish driver Arvid Lindblad.
Asked to give some advice to the rookie, Lawson said: “Once you're in the sport, it’s all of the noise around that sport that’s probably a big, new thing, or probably a lot more intense than what you’re used to.”
Shakey Aston Martins risk 'permanent nerve damage'
Lawson will likely be feeling lucky he's not at Aston Martin, which has been struggling with the new regulations.
Despite heavy investment and the hiring of legendary car designer Adrian Newey, it looks likely that neither car will even finish this weekend's race.
Newey told Motorsport Week the cars were experiencing vibrations, causing damage and health risks to the drivers.
“That vibration into the chassis is causing a few reliability problems: mirrors falling off, tail lights falling off, all that sort of thing, which we are having to address,” he said. “But the much more significant problem with that is that that vibration is transmitted ultimately into the driver’s fingers.
“Fernando [Alonso] is of the feeling that he can’t do more than 25 laps consecutively before he will risk permanent nerve damage into his hands.
“Lance [Stroll] is of the opinion that he can’t do more than 15 laps before that threshold.
“We are going to have to be very heavily restricted on how many laps we do in the race until we get on top of the source of the vibration and improve the vibration at source.”
Things will become clearer when the cars hit the track in Melbourne for free practice one and two at 2.30pm and 4pm.
Qualifying will be at 6pm on Saturday, followed by the race at 5pm on Sunday.
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