Liam Lawson expressed deep frustration after committing a costly mistake during the pole position shootout, despite delivering a stellar performance earlier in the wet sprint race. The New Zealander had to settle for ninth in qualifying, a result he felt did not reflect the true pace of his Racing Bulls charger at Marina Bay. Although he inherited eighth on the grid following an engine penalty for George Russell, Lawson remains stranded on the unfavorable side of the track for Sunday's start, while rival Pierre Gasly moved up to seventh for Alpine.
Reflecting on his final Q3 push, Lawson admitted he simply tried too hard in his pursuit of maximizing every hundredth of a second. We are fighting for one position here, but unfortunately now it means we are on the bad side of the grid, and Pierre is on the good side tomorrow, so it is frustrating, he told Sky Sports F1. We were quicker today, and I just feel like an idiot in Q3. Tried a bit too hard. Cars been very strong this weekend though, so hopefully it is strong in the race, he added, maintaining optimism for the grand prix.
This qualifying heartbreak came on the heels of one of his strongest outings of the season in the wet sprint, held on a drying track following heavy rain. The 24-year-old managed changing intermediate tyre conditions masterfully before a dramatic final-lap collision between McLaren teammates Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri handed him fifth place. That opportunistic finish yielded four valuable points, extending Racing Bulls' championship buffer over Alpine in the fierce battle for fifth in the constructors' standings.
Racing Bulls Team Principal Alan Permane showered praise on his driver's mature yet fast drive, while playfully thanking Norris for helping trigger the late-race shake-up. Yeah Lando did exactly what he did for us last weekend. So thank you Lando, Permane joked. Exceptional drive from Liam. Really really good. Well measured and fast, and just pulled away from the cars behind him. He was a little bit in no man's land, but great. We will take that.
Addressing Lawson's unwavering focus amidst intense paddock chatter about his future, Permane lauded the youngster's ability to compartmentalize the noise and deliver on track. He would desperately like to know what is going on, as I know everyone does. But he is just keeping his head down and delivering every weekend, and we can't ask any more than that from him, Permane concluded.
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