Liam Lawson Trapped in P11 Before Tough 2026 Hungarian F1 GP

Liam Lawson faces a difficult recovery task in the 2026 Hungarian Formula 1 Grand Prix after a Q2 mistake left him 11th on the grid at a circuit where he believes overtaking is almost impossible.

The Racing Bulls driver missed a place in Q3 by only 0.126 seconds. The result was particularly disappointing because Lawson believed the car possessed enough pace to qualify inside the top 10.

Lawson suffered a lock-up during the opening part of Q2 and lost an important reference for his final attempt. He then failed to complete a clean lap as the front tyres also lacked the expected grip at the beginning of the run.

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“I just drove really badly in Q2. It is a shame because the car has been very, very good this weekend,” Lawson said.

Lawson suggested that track temperatures may have fallen before the final attempts. He also questioned whether the preparation lap had been completed too slowly, preventing the front tyres from reaching their optimum operating window.

“Maybe we went a bit too slow on our out-laps, but the fronts were terrible at the start of the lap. It was pretty poorly driven through the rest of the lap anyway, so that is something to review,” he said.

Lawson’s disappointment was increased by team-mate Arvid Lindblad progressing into Q3 and securing ninth. Lindblad had held an advantage during the weekend and converted the Racing Bulls’ pace into a starting position inside the first five rows.

Lawson retained some optimism from the team’s long-run performance in practice. However, the narrow and technical Hungaroring layout means any recovery is likely to depend on the start, pit-stop strategy, tyre management or changing race circumstances.

“We had a good long run, so hopefully we have a fast race car, but it is basically impossible to overtake, so it is going to be tough,” Lawson said.

Starting 11th gives Lawson freedom over his starting tyre, but Racing Bulls must use that flexibility effectively. Without a strategy that creates a meaningful offset to the cars ahead, its race pace may not be enough to carry Lawson into the points at the 2026 Hungarian Formula 1 Grand Prix.