Red Bull junior Lawson returns to his main commitments in Japan's premier single-seater series after making five grand prix appearances for AlphaTauri in place of an injured Daniel Ricciardo since the previous Super Formula round at Motegi in August.
Tomo Koike, who oversees Lawson’s side of the Team Mugen garage, feels that the experience gained by the New Zealander at the wheel of an F1 car at Suzuka in particular can only help him in his bid to overturn Ritomo Miyata’s points advantage.
Lawson goes into the Super Formula decider eight points adrift of TOM’S driver Miyata, with Mugen team-mate Tomoki Nojiri just a further two points back with 46 left to play for across the two Suzuka races.
“I think [it can be an advantage], because he is quite good at adjusting,” Koike told Autosport. “He is able to quickly match his driving style to the car of each category.
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“Also, he told me at Suzuka in the paddock that the tyre degradation in F1 was quite similar to Super Formula. So it was kind of a practice for Super Formula!
“The type of degradation is different, but the management is similar in both categories.”
Koike emphasised the importance of Lawson qualifying well, not only due to the bonus points on offer but also in order to avoid a repeat of the situation in the second race of the season at Fuji back in April.
Source: Autosport