After a more promising 19-lap Sprint race earlier today, Liam Lawon is out in Q1 and qualifies 20th for tomorrow’s Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai. The Kiwi suffering another blow to his Red Bull debut, with all eyes on him as they look ahead to the big race tomorrow.
Lawson started 19th in the Sprint Race after Hulkenberg started in the pit lane, resulting from the Kick Sauber team making suspension changes on the car earlier.
Lawson showed he meant business by making wheel-to-wheel contact with Jack Doohan while passing him on Lap 5 and also making minor contact with Gabriel Bortoleto on Lap 10.
Lawson made up five positions during the Sprint race, also passing Esteban Ocon and Sainz as the William’s driver came into the pits for a tyre change.
Many drivers complained about tyre degradation, including Lawson’s teammate and four-time world champion Max Verstappen and McLaren driver Lando Norris.
“Both my front tyres are dead,” said Verstappen on Lap 14/19
Lawson finished P14 in the 19-lap Sprint Race, showing he can make up places in a race and showing he is gaining some confidence in the Red Bull Hot seat.
“Even if you are faster, it is still quite hard to overtake, just from the grain on the tyres, following other cars.
“We also know qualifying is important, and this really shows it.” said Lawson
Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner encouraged him over the radio.
“Good drive, Liam. A very good effort. Good recovery.”
During the Q1 session, Lawson’s first flying lap time was hampered by a temporary yellow flag in a section of the track. Race control noted Lawson for not slowing down under yellows. A few minutes later, race control announced no further investigation.
Lawson’s second flying lap saw him off the pace of teammate Verstappen by 1.068s, leaving the Kiwi feeling diminished and adding on the pressure to perform in his final attempt.
Lawson failed to improve enough to make it out of the bottom five drivers, crossing the line with a 1:32.174 lap time, seven-tenths off Verstappen’s pace. This places him 20th for tomorrow’s Grand Prix, where he has some serious work ahead of him.
To add insult to injury, Racing Bulls duo Isack Hadjar and Yuki Tsunoda were second and third fastest, both a second quicker than the Red Bull driver.
Lawson was interviewed shortly after Q1 by Sky Sports F1 commentator Rachel Brooks.
Q. Tell me what you are dealing with out there. You said “messy” and “I’m struggling a lot” on the radio. Tell me what the feelings are like in the car and why it’s so hard to get a lap out of it right now. asked Brooks
“Yeah, it’s just really tough, honestly. I think the windows are really small. That’s known, but honestly, it’s not an excuse. I’ve got to get a handle on it.
“It was a messy session and stuff like that to be having those issues, and had we not dealt with traffic and things like that, it might have been okay, but to be honest, it’s still not good enough to be having those issues, and that’s the reason that we get knocked out.
“We should be fast enough on our first lap; it shouldn’t be an issue. I need to get on top of it.
“I think it’s just time. Unfortunately, I don’t really have time. But it’s just one of those things. To drive a Formula 1 car, you have to be 100% confident in what you’re doing, and it’s not that I do not feel confident. The window is just so small that I seem to miss it, and that’s what I need to get a handle on.” said Lawson.
Meanwhile, McLaren driver Oscar Piastri achieves his first pole position as he tops Q3 and beats the current track record at the Shanghai International Circuit, which Hamilton previously won during the Sprint race, but Piastri had other ideas and went faster with a 1.30.641 lap time.
Mercedes driver George Russell will start tomorrow’s race after qualifying 2nd, with Lando Norris behind him in 3rd. Verstappen qualified 4th with Lewis Hamilton in 5th, Leclerc 6th, Isack Hadjar 7th, Kimi Antonelli 8th, Yuki Tsunoda 9th and Alex Albon 10th.
The Chinese Grand Prix is scheduled for 8 pm Sunday NZT.
Header Image: Image: Mark Thompson/Getty Images via Red Bull Content Pool
