Liam Lawson says he used teammate Yuki Tsunoda’s data “all weekend” in preparation for the Mexican Grand Prix.

Lawson qualified 12th while Tsundoa crashed late in the second quarter but the Kiwi said he took note of what his more experienced teammate was doing.

Liam Lawson, Yuki Tsunoda explain data benefits

Additional reporting from Elizabeth Blackstock

Lawson returned to F1 at Austin and finished in points, but as he is the newest member of the grid, the New Zealander is using all the information available to accelerate.

“It’s nice to have a fast teammate and be able to use his data,” Lawson told media, including PlanetF1.com in Mexico. “And that’s what we’ve been doing all weekend, to be honest.

“So it was helpful. “Obviously I think it was beneficial to have the extra time this weekend, so it’s a shame we couldn’t finish another tour sooner.”

It was Tsunoda’s crash that put the nail on the head for Lawson’s Q3 hopes, but the New Zealander still has a chance of earning points on Sunday.

“We’re close to the points and it’s looking good in the long term, so hopefully we can progress.

“We started to improve and I think we were there in qualifying and it’s a shame (they didn’t get into Q3). Honestly, I think the team worked extremely hard and they gave us a really fast car this weekend, so we hope to have one if not two cars in Q3.” I think they deserve it.”

Tsunoda, on the other hand, explained that his accident in the second quarter was due to him locking up while approaching the stadium section and not being able to slow down the car enough to take the curve.

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“I front locked at the start and lost most of the control, so I was already out of front lock and there was no way I was going to get into the corner.

“So it was very strange. I didn’t push too hard there and I didn’t experience a front lock at that corner on any laps during the week. So I was surprised by this, but it’s still a shame we couldn’t maximize this opportunity.

“It will not be easy to strategize here, especially in the traffic and vehicle heat, but I am doing my best. I think the car’s speed is still the same, hopefully I can maximize that with fresh air.

“In the previous race my teammate went from last to point, so anything can happen.”

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