New Zealand F1 driver Liam Lawson Photo: IAN BUNDEY / MPS AGENCY © / PHOTOSPORT
Racing Bulls are hoping the versatility of their cars will again pay dividends as Formula 1 hits Asia.
This weekend's Singapore Grand Prix is the 18th of 24 rounds with the competition heating up for the championship.
It is also an occasion for New Zealand driver Liam Lawson to show he deserves to stay in the Racing Bulls team for the 2026 season.
Lawson is coming off his best ever result, a fifth place finish in Azerbaijan which has improved him to 13th in the Drivers' Championship.
The 23-year-old is just nine points behind his team-mate Isack Hadjar who is in ninth position.
The street circuit in the city-state is familiar to Lawson. It was the third Grand Prix he raced in in 2023 as a replacement for the injured Daniel Ricciardo and the first time he picked up points (ninth place.)
"It always brings back great memories," Lawson said on arrival in Singapore.
"When I was a kid, the Marina Bay Street Circuit was the track that I raced most in the F1 game, so it quickly became one of my favourite races of the year.
"It's such a beautiful place, but also very humid and hot, so I expect it to be tough. However, I'm very excited to return this weekend."
New Zealand F1 driver Liam Lawson at the 2025 Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Photo: IAN BUNDEY / MPS AGENCY © / PHOTOSPORT
Racing Bulls' double points finish in Baku has improved the team to sixth in the Constructors' Championship as they try to hunt down Williams in fifth.
"The VCARB 02 has worked well across a range of circuits and we approach Singapore with the confidence we have built from good recent performances," said Racing Bulls' chief technical officer Tim Goss.
He concedes the Marina Bay street circuit provides plenty of challenges.
"It is far from an easy ride. Quite the opposite. The bumpy nature of the track provides challenges for our race engineers, where getting the trade between ride performance and optimal delivery of aero load is a tricky compromise," Goss said.
"In contrast to the two previous races, which featured long straights and low rear wing settings, we will utilise our maximum downforce rear wing."
Red Bull's Max Verstappen has won the last two races and is closing in on the table topping McLaren's of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris.
Piastri had his first DNF of the season at the previous round in Azerbaijan and holds a 25-point lead over Norris with Verstappen 69 points off the leader.
