Red Bull boss hails Lawson’s pace

Liam Lawson says he will be pushing for a better result when the Formula 1 championship resumes in China this weekend and his team boss is also backing the Kiwi driver.

The 23-year-old, making his debut for Red Bull, had to start in the pit lane after his car was modified and then crashed out on lap 46 of 57 of the Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park, Melbourne.

His team-mate, reigning world champion Max Verstappen, finished the March 16 race second behind McLaren’s Lando Norris.

Christian Horner, principal of Red Bull Racing, admitted Lawson had to endure a challenging debut at the rain-hit event but was quick to praise him for clocking the second fastest lap.

“It was a difficult weekend for him, we changed the car to put a bit more downforce on as it is a very hard track to overtake at,” Horner told media after the race.

“We took a risk of leaving him out because he was outside the points and we thought, ‘You know what, roll the dice and maybe it’ll come right’.

“But at exactly that point, it started to rain more, so it is difficult to blame him for that last spin.

“The one flash of light he can take out of it was on the dry tyres, he actually posted the second fastest lap of the grand prix, a 1:22.9 versus Max’s 1:23.0, and Lando did a 1:22.1. That is one positive we can take.”

Lawson posted on Instagram: “This wasn’t the race I wanted for my first time racing in Melbourne, but I’m grateful to the team for all their hard work this weekend. I’ll be pushing hard for a better result in Shanghai

“To all the Kiwis that came across the ditch, and the Aussies that turned out this weekend, your support means everything.”

The Formula 1 championship is back in action with the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai on Sunday, March 23.

Horner says Lawson’s Australian effort “wasn't representative of what he is capable of” but predicts another tough weekend for the driver in China because it is a sprint race at a track he’s not been to before.