Liam Lawson at the Singapore Grand Prix Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Stand-in Liam Lawson is hoping for another strong weekend with AlphaTauri when he returns to familiar Suzuka for this weekend's Japanese Grand Prix.
The 21-year-old New Zealander, who will be racing for the fourth time in place of injured Australian Daniel Ricciardo at the Red Bull-owned team, scored his first points with ninth in Singapore last Sunday.
He already has experience of Suzuka from competing in Japanese Super Formula this year.
"I've tested and raced there quite a few times and I absolutely love it," he said in a team preview for Sunday's race.
"I'm hoping that we can be strong there, and it helps to know the track reasonably well. I'm expecting it to be very different to drive in a Formula One car, but I'm excited to go there.
"I think, in a Formula One car, it's one of the best circuits you could drive."
McLaren Formula One driver Oscar Piastri Photo: PHOTOSPORT
AlphaTauri's other driver Yuki Tsunoda will be the sole Japanese in the race and hoping for third time lucky after failing to start in Italy and then retiring on the opening lap in Singapore.
The team are last in the constructors' championship with only five points.
"Liam will have raced in three grands prix, so he will have more knowledge, and we're expecting a good team performance," said Tsunoda. "The upgrades we introduced in Singapore seem to work, so maybe we can aim for the top 10 or top eight."
Meanwhile former champions McLaren have secured their line-up for the next few years after extending the contract of Australian rookie Oscar Piastri until the end of 2026.
Britain's Lando Norris last year signed an extension through to the end of 2025, meaning McLaren can count on the pair until at least then.
Piastri is 11th in the championship going into this weekend's Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka and has best results of second in the Belgian Sprint race in July and fourth at Silverstone that same month.
McLaren are currently fifth overall after a poor start to the season, failing to score in the first two races but turning their form around with a big improvement from Austria in July.
Norris has now finished runner-up three times in the last six races.
Piastri was champion in Formula Two and Formula Three and joined McLaren under some controversy after rejecting a 2023 race seat at Renault-owned Alpine when Fernando Alonso left to join Aston Martin.
-Reuters