Liam Lawson predicted for major 'hurt' after Singapore crash

Jenson Button believes Liam Lawson could be in for major "hurt" in Singapore Grand Prix qualifying after his practice crash.

Lawson whacked the Turn 17 exit wall during his qualifying simulation run in FP2 at Marina Bay, destroying the right-hand side of his car and missing crucial representative track time on his second visit to Singapore in F1.

His team-mate Isack Hadjar proved the pace of the Racing Bulls machine by finishing second to session topper Oscar Piastri, with the 2009 F1 champion Button believing that Lawson is now on the backfoot heading into Saturday's qualifying. 

"It really does [set you back], especially if you don't have that much experience around this circuit," Button explained on Sky Sports F1. 

"So for Liam to come off such a high as Baku to put it in the wall, this is going to hurt him going into qualifying.

"Also, his team-mate is flying from the first lap of FP2 and has been up there, and was second in FP2, so that puts even more pressure on you."

Fellow pundit Jamie Chadwick offered a crumb of comfort for Lawson, given Hadjar's pace.

"It is always a bit of a sad sight when you see an F1 car that's crashed and is kind of neglected by the side of the track," she said.

"It was hard into the wall at both ends of the car, and it is not what he would have wanted, but his team-mate is right up there, so that car is clearly working, and he'll take a bit of confidence from that."