Liam Lawson 'potentially hurt' by key Racing Bulls gamble

Liam Lawson has accepted that using a set of hard tyres in the China Sprint has left him "potentially hurt" for the Grand Prix.

Racing Bulls gambled in the opening sprint race of the year at the Shanghai International Circuit by fitting Lawson with hard tyres, leaving him with just one set remaining.

The Faenza-based outfit's gamble paid off, as Lawson scored two valuable points after finishing seventh.

However, Lawson knows he will likely now face a painful Chinese Grand Prix on Sunday, with tyre degradation having been incredibly high.

Most drivers opted for the medium compound for the sprint but suffered from major graining, only to be relieved by a late safety car after Nico Hulkenberg's Audi came to a halt, creating a window for a pit stop.

While Lawson is hopeful of a positive qualifying, he is fully aware that scoring points with only one set of hard tyres remaining is unlikely.

Asked if he has any regrets using a set of hard tyres, Lawson told Sky F1: "Yeah, that's the problem. 

"Now we are one hard down, and honestly, when we made the decision this morning, we had to think about our speed. 

"Yesterday, honestly, we did quite a good job, and that was where we were. So we tried to maximise today and take the advantage.

"Tomorrow will be hard for us to fight for the points. We need to find some speed, which we'll try to do this afternoon. But yes, it potentially hurts us a little bit."