Marko sends Lawson to Japan: 'Need to be fighting for championship'

Pierre Gasly won the Formula 2 title in 2016, but he was not yet considered mature enough for a place in Formula 1. The following season, he therefore competed in Japanese Formula and there he developed a base that has since led him to Alpine's main squad. The same trajectory awaits Liam Lawson. He is looking forward to the challenge, he told Motorsport.com.

Driving a season in Japan is very different from driving in Europe. Not only are the racing classes incomparable, you are also much more on your own and have to deal with a language barrier. To mature, Japanese Super Formula is the place to be, as Helmut Marko also knows. Lawson was therefore sent to Japan for a reason.

At Red Bull, there is still confidence in Lawson's abilities, but a third season in Formula 2 was not seen as useful by Marko. Lawson: "One of the most frustrating things is the difference between an F2 car and F1, and how your suitability for F1 can be judged from F2. Super Formula is closer to F1, and people are aware of that fact," said the 20-year-old driver, who knows that next season is important for his chances of an F1 seat.

Lawson wants to win

One advantage for Lawson is that aerodynamic changes are being implemented for next season. All drivers will therefore start at the proverbial zero and, moreover, the new form of aerodynamics in Japanese Super Formula is close to that of Formula 1.

Gasly, in his first and only season in Japan, fell half a point short of the overall win. Whether Marko has set a specific goal for Lawson? “Every season is the same… you need to be fighting for the championship. But from my side, I want to win anyway. The goal is to get to F1, but I want to do really well in this championship as well.”