Liam Lawson reveals frustration despite equalling best F1 grid slot

Liam Lawson was left “frustrated” at not qualifying even further up the grid in Brazil, despite what will become his equal-best Formula 1 starting position.

The Racing Bulls driver revealed he aborted his final Q3 lap after not leaving enough of a gap to Fernando Alonso on his initial attempt.

Liam Lawson reveals Brazil qualifying frustration despite P3 start

Lawson qualified fifth for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix in a red flag-interrupted wet session on Saturday, but with grid penalties for George Russell and Charles Leclerc, he is due to start the race from third on the grid – equalling the result he achieved in Azerbaijan in 2025.

Lawson was a consistent presence towards the upper end of the field throughout qualifying at Interlagos, managing to navigate tricky conditions as he and the rest of the Formula 1 grid navigated the first half of the session on full wet tyres.

He and Racing Bulls made the switch to intermediate rubber halfway through Q2 along with much of the field.

The early laps in Q3 proved the ones to count most after a fresh shower squandered hopes of improving at the tail end of qualifying.

Despite achieving what will level his best grid position in Formula 1, the New Zealander emphasised that he had qualified fifth before getting set to move up, though he felt more was possible from behind the wheel on Saturday.

“I think we have a good car in both conditions,” Lawson said after the session.

“It’s always tough in these conditions, but it’s also enjoyable. You know, these cars [have] a lot of horsepower this year and not much grip, so you’re really sliding around, and I think we just had a very good car.

“It’s actually a shame. I made a gap to Fernando [Alonso] and caught him too much in the first lap, and then I had to abort the last lap, which ended up being probably the optimum one, and then it rained.

“So, frustrated to not get everything out of it but, obviously, we get lucky tomorrow with a couple of places.

“I think we had a good chance today. We had a very strong car, so we were very good at the call to go to inters in Q2. That’s probably what put us up there initially.

“But even in Q3, I think we had a good chance at fighting the front guys but, unfortunately, I just didn’t make a big enough gap. My fault, but obviously we get a couple of places tomorrow, and we start in a good place.”

More from Brazilian Grand Prix qualifying

Brazilian GP: Lando Norris on pole in wet-weather thriller

F1 Brazil grid 2026: The full starting order at Interlagos with penalties

Q1 was halted for 84 minutes at Interlagos after heavy rain at the circuit, with the Safety Car rounding the track multiple times to decide its suitability for the session to resume.

Even when the grid was allowed out of the pit lane, Lawson felt the conditions were on the edge of what was acceptable.

“When we started, it was extremely sketchy,” he explained.

“I think we were definitely pushing it, [but] I like the fact that we were out there and not in the garage.

“I think obviously it is risky, but there weren’t that many accidents, so I feel like you would want to push more and obviously go out in these conditions and leave it to us a little bit. But at the start, there was a lot of aquaplaning.”

Lando Norris took pole position for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, with the McLaren driver will line up alongside Kimi Antonelli on the front row after Russell’s grid penalty is applied.

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