Liam Lawson explains anxious radio message after team-mate close call

Liam Lawson has played down the significance of an in-race altercation with team-mate Arvid Lindblad in the early stages of the Chinese Grand Prix.

Lindblad was running behind Lawson on a harder compound and was seeking to go deeper in the race than his team-mate, who was running the medium tyre.

As Lawson began to lose pace, Lindblad went for a move on at the hairpin but locked up and ran deep, prompting Lawson to re-take the position.

Over team radio, Lawson simply stated, 'Guys...' before he came into the pits on the following lap, moments after Lindblad successfully moved ahead of him.

When asked if he was trying to get the team to ensure Lindblad stayed behind him, Lawson told media including RacingNews365: “No, I was trying to box. 

“He had a train of cars behind him, and if he got me, then I was probably going to get done by two or three more. 

“So I was trying not to lose too much time. In the end, we boxed right before the safety car, which was probably calmer.”

Lawson ran to the end of the race on a set of hard tyres and brought home a seventh-place result, mirroring his finishing position in the sprint.

The New Zealander stated the result came as a positive surprise as he lacked confidence in the car's ability throughout the weekend.

“For the speed we had this weekend, it's very, very positive,” he said.

“We definitely didn't expect to have two points finishes after sprint qualifying and qualifying [on Saturday], especially. So, very happy.

“In Melbourne, we were quite quick, but we definitely weren't quick this weekend. 

“We've salvaged a great result out of pretty average weekends on pace. So going forward, once we find some speed, I think we should be in a great position.”