Lawson must help rookie Lindblad settle in says Permane

Permane explained that while Lawson won't be asked to act as a full mentor, he will be required to help the 18-year-old find his feet.

It's something I've discussed with Liam, he said.

I don't expect him to be a mentor for Arvid, far from it, but I do expect him to be there for him, said Permane. "Ok, he only has a season and a half of experience, but that's still much more than Arvid has.

He should be able, and I expect him to be, to help Arvid when things get tough, especially in the beginning and during test days.

23-year-old Lawson, however - having endured a torrid first full season that began disastrously for him at Red Bull Racing - sounded slightly cautious about the expectation.

I expect the team will rely on me a bit because of my experience, said the New Zealander.

But then again, I only have one season under my belt. You learn a tremendous amount in one year of Formula 1, but there's still so much more to learn.

(GMM)