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Liam Lawson

Liam Lawson identifies crucial Racing Bulls advantage in growing F1 concern

Liam Lawson believes he has spied a potential advantage for Racing Bulls in a growing F1 concern.

Lawson Bahrain Day 3 Afternoon
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To news overview © XPBimages

Liam Lawson says Red Bull Powertrains is not suffering from the same '10-second' delay affecting some F1 teams during practice starts.

Concern has grown during the first week of F1 testing in Bahrain over the safety of starts and launches from the grid after a major change to the procedures.

With the removal of the MGU-H from the power units, drivers must now spool the turbo up to eliminate the threat of lag upon launch, but are treading a fine line as over-revving the engine will over-charge the battery. 

Starts have been described as a "mess" and "crazy" by Gabriel Bortoleto, with McLaren boss Andrea Stella seeking "responsible" talks between the teams and the FIA to find a solution ahead of the first race.

The concern is that if a car near the front of the grid stalls upon the race start, it could be rammed by an unsighted driver from further back at speed, with talks planned to find a solution.

However, Lawson, whose Racing Bulls team is using RBPT engines has hinted at an advantage, saying his team do not have the 10-second spooling up process of the turbo. 

"For us, it is not 10 seconds," Lawson told media, including RacingNews365.

"It is definitely a more complicated start procedure, but obviously, we have a bit of time before [Australia] to try and get on top of it.

"It is going to be more difficult, but the main thing that we're thinking about is trying to go faster.

"We are quite similar in terms of the way we're driving [compared to Red Bull], as we have the same power unit, but we're fighting our own issues as well with trying to get on top of the car.

"They seem to be in a good place, so naturally it is going to be slightly different because, at the moment, we can't carry as much speed as them anyway."

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