Kiwi F1 driver Liam Lawson says he "lost all power" at the start of yesterday's F1 season opener in Melbourne.
Lawson lined up on the grid in eighth at the Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park, but quickly fell back to 20th as he struggled to get off the line.
Alpine's Argentinian driver Franco Colapinto, who lined up behind Lawson, had to quickly swerve out of the way as numerous cars darted past the Kiwi.
Lawson showed grit throughout the race, however, overtaking multiple cars to finish the race in P13 – still not enough to score points. Rookie Racing Bulls teammate Arvid Lindblad steamed into fourth off the start, finishing in eighth and scoring points of debut.
Immediately after the race, Lawson was asked what went wrong at the start, saying he had “no idea”.
“Lights went out very quick, I thought I nailed the reaction and the procedure, but I don’t know.
“The car didn’t move, lost all power, and I couldn’t get power for about five seconds. I was just sitting there.”
He described the ordeal as “pretty frustrating”.
An incident involving Lawson was investigated during the race, when he banged wheels with old rival, Sergio Pérez, who returned to F1 with Cadillac after being dropped by Red Bull for Lawson at the end of the 2024 season.
Lawson said he had experienced "some issues" throughout yesterday's race and had difficulty overtaking.
“Every time I got to the back of a car, our energy management wasn’t really working properly, and I kept actually losing power.
“Obviously, a big learning curve for all of us today with these cars, but we just fought some issues through the race."
Frustrations with new regulations
Yesterday was the first race under the new regulations in which cars went wheel-to-wheel.
The new cars have introduced hybrid engines with a 50-50 split between combustion and electric power, meaning drivers have an added focus on managing battery levels. The battery drains unless drivers recharge it while braking or by lifting off the throttle.
Before the race, Lawson said he had struggled to get his battery to last a full lap at full throttle.
“We just don’t have enough energy to basically do a lap with full power, with full throttle, like we would normally want to," he said.
Frustration with the cars was shared across the grid, with numerous drivers complaining about them.
Five cars failed to finish the race yesterday, with Cadillac's Valtteri Bottas, Red Bull's Isack Hadjar, and Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso all forced to retire due to issues in the race. Hometown hero Oscar Piastri crashed out while bringing his car to the grid, and Audi's Nico Hulkenberg had to have his car wheeled off the track after it failed to start. Aston Martin's Lance Stroll also effectively retired, but came back to finish the race 15 laps behind the other drivers.
"We've come from the best cars ever made in Formula 1 and the nicest to drive to probably the worst," world champion Lando Norris said about the cars.
When asked if there was anything he liked about the new cars, Norris told ESPN: "No, not really."
Four-time world champion Max Verstappen said he was "not having fun at all" driving the new car, telling Dutch media he felt "no emotion" over the weekend. Verstappen managed to finish sixth, storming foward after starting in P20.
One driver who wasn't complaining was race winner George Russel, who dominated qualifying, fending off an early surge from the two Ferraris early in the race.
"The car, to be fair, especially in these conditions when they're lighter, is super fun to drive," Russell said.
"It's much more agile, the car is much better at low speeds, the ride is much better."
He said there was "a lot to learn" when it came to the power units, but said it was "part of the game".
The morning's headlines in 90 seconds, including Christopher Luxon says he’s not quitting, and the Black Caps fall at the final T20 World Cup hurdle. (Source: 1News)
SHARE ME