Liam Lawson explains Madring 'mistakes' that will lead to F1 drivers 'in a wall'

Liam Lawson has explained how a simple mistake at the Madring will have F1 drivers "thrown straight at the wall" at the new Spanish GP venue. 

The new 22-turn semi-street, semi-permanent circuit will host its first grand prix this weekend, with drivers anticipating a tricky challenge given the narrow nature of the track, with multiple blindspots around some of the corners.

It has been compared to the Jeddah Corniche Circuit in Saudi Arabia, where, in Sector 1, especially, the fast, flowing curves are blind with the walls, whilst in Sectors 2 and 3, the straights are curved, with walls partially blocking vision for the drivers.

One particular challenge which awaits is at Turns 5 and 6, at the end of the first straight mode activation zone, with drivers having to brake in a curved line to navigate the fast left-right-left flicks to head off up the hill to the tight Turn 8. 

Lawson, who is still at Red Bull in place of the injured Isack Hadjar, explained that he watched videos from the recent F3 two-day test and how those drivers navigated the section at the "sketchy" circuit - and how mistakes from F1 drivers will have them "in the wall."

"It's going to be a very interesting track to drive; it is very technical, obviously. I think just quite challenging for us, and through the weekend, trying to put laps together," Lawson told media, including RacingNews365. 

"I think it's one of those tracks that you're not going to feel like you've nailed a lap. Honestly, half the time it's going to be one or two mistakes a lap, probably all the time. It's quite difficult. 

"Monaco was one where we could push flat out, and actually have no limitations. So I would say it's not like it's going to be like that, but I think it definitely is somewhere that is somewhere, more than Monza, where you can probably make a bit of a difference. 

"I just think it's going to be very challenging for us to put a lap together to feel like you've nailed everything. If you do, it's probably going to make quite a big difference. 

"But it's pretty sketchy in places, to be honest. It is very easy to get it wrong. It's not somewhere I feel like has a lot of flow. It's very technical, and it's hard to put it together, but it might be exciting enough for one car. 

"The way these sort of street circuits are built, the walls, a lot of them just follow where the track goes, and they're just very blind in a lot of places, so in a lot of these faster-flowing corners where you have something behind it but you can't see it, and Jeddah obviously has more of that than this place, but it's similar in that way, I would say."

Turning to the challenge of the left-right-left chicane of Turns 5 and 6, Lawson explained how the car could be "thrown straight into the wall."

"The thing is, if you take too much of the first kerb, it'll bounce you across the second kerb, which will then just bounce you over the wall, so trying to be accurate through a section like that's quite tough," Lawson said. 

"I've seen a lot of videos of F3 cars just smashing both the kerbs and getting away with it, not getting away with it. It's definitely a tricky part of the track. The braking zone is obviously not straight as well, so trying not to lock up and push that braking zone is going to be pretty tough, and then it also depends on your energy management- how much you're using. 

"Because I think on tracks like this, when it's changing lap to lap, you approach at different speeds, and that can make it quite difficult to push a section like that. 

"I mean, you do have the option to just bail and go straight, at least, but it's simply somewhere that if you take too much kerb, it'll just throw you straight into the left wall."