'Sick track': Lawson primed for Singapore GP after solid Malaysia drive

Kiwi F1 driver Liam Lawson is hoping for another strong start ahead of this weekend's physically demanding Singapore Grand Prix.

The series arrives in Singapore for a sprint weekend following last week's exciting Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, where the Racing Bulls driver finished seventh.

Lawson shot up to fourth in Sepang, battling race-winner Max Verstappen before falling back as faster cars passed.

Lawson scored his first F1 points in Singapore during the 2023 season and hoped to maintain this season's consistency at what he called a "sick track".

"With sprint weekends, you get two shots at everything. So yeah, I'm excited," he said.

"I think we normally start, at least recently, started the weekends quite strong, and then I feel like everybody else is sort of caught up. So some of that gets taken away. Hopefully we can start strong here."

This weekend's race is being held at the Marina Bay Street Circuit – a nearly 5 kilometre, 19-corner gauntlet known for its close walls and sharp turns. Singapore's bumpy public roads and swampy heat make it one of the most physically gruelling races on the calendar.

Reflecting on last week, Lawson said he didn't expect the race start in Malaysia to go as well as it did.

"I just didn't have any wheel spin on the initial drop, and I think in the wet, that's what makes the biggest difference.

"Everyone kept going back past me, and I didn't expect to be fighting Max in turn one," he said "It put us in a really good position."

By the end of the race, Lawson had extended his ninth-place lead over Alpine's Pierre Gasly in the drivers' standings and delivered crucial points for Racing Bulls in their battle for fifth in the constructors' championship.

"Regardless of how our speed was, it was good through the race, but it just put us in great track position, and from there we had quite a smooth race," he said.

"I'd obviously love it to rain every weekend to have starts like that."

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The first and only practice session for the Grand Prix starts at 9.30pm tonight (NZT), followed by sprint qualifying at 1.30am and the sprint at 10pm on Saturday.

Qualifying will be at 2am on Sunday, with the race at 1am on Monday.