Liam Lawson will start the Dutch Grand Prix from eighth after continuing to make progress while filling in for Isack Hadjar at Red Bull, while Lando Norris emerged on top of a rain-threatened qualifying session at Zandvoort.
The Kiwi reached Q3 for the first time with Red Bull this weekend, qualifying directly behind teammate Max Verstappen as he continues to adjust to a car he admits feels considerably different from the Racing Bulls machine he has been driving this season.
Lawson’s P8 came after finishing 11th in Saturday’s Sprint, where passing proved difficult across the 24 laps. With track position expected to play an important role again in the Grand Prix, qualifying carried added importance around the narrow Dutch circuit.
At the front, Norris produced when it mattered most, setting a 1m 11.163s lap late in Q3 to beat George Russell to pole position. Kimi Antonelli completed the top three for Mercedes, with Oscar Piastri fourth after showing strong pace through much of the session.
Piastri set the pace in a closely fought Q1, with the leading drivers separated by small margins as the track continued to improve.
Lawson and Verstappen both comfortably progressed, while further down the order Carlos Sainz was one of the notable casualties. The Williams driver missed Q2 by just 0.022 seconds, joining Fernando Alonso, Lance Stroll, Ollie Bearman and Cadillac pair Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez on the sidelines.
The pressure increased in Q2 as the fight for the final 10 places tightened.
Russell initially set the benchmark before Norris and Piastri moved ahead, with McLaren again showing particularly strong pace through Zandvoort’s faster middle sector.
Lawson delivered when he needed to, moving into eighth while Verstappen climbed to third. It was enough to put both Red Bulls into the final qualifying shootout, while Pierre Gasly narrowly missed the cut.
Yuki Tsunoda, Nico Hulkenberg, Franco Colapinto, Esteban Ocon and Alex Albon were also eliminated, leaving Lawson to carry the Kiwi challenge into Q3.
With rain threatening to arrive during the final 12 minutes, getting a competitive lap on the board early became increasingly important.
Norris and Piastri initially led the way before Russell split the McLaren pair, while Lawson sat seventh after the opening runs, behind Verstappen and ahead of Lewis Hamilton.
Conditions then began to change as light rain arrived with around five minutes remaining.
Russell found more time on his final attempt, but Norris responded with a 1m 11.163s to secure pole by a tenth of a second. Antonelli took third, ahead of Piastri, Hamilton and Charles Leclerc. Verstappen could manage only seventh, with Lawson following his teammate in eighth. Gabriel Bortoleto and Arvid Lindblad completed the top 10.
For Lawson, the final attempt came with an added challenge. Red Bull changed its approach because of the incoming weather, abandoning the preparation laps he had been using earlier in qualifying and sending him straight into a push lap.
“Just for me, I struggled a little bit in the exit to Turn 1 with traction, but overall this lap in general was different because we’d been doing build laps the whole of quali,” Lawson said.
“And because of the rain, basically we converted to just out-push. And I hadn’t done it before, so I had no idea going into Turn 1 what I was going to get.”
Lawson was improving through the lap before losing time at Turn 10, leaving the Kiwi believing there was potentially more on offer.
“I just lost the front. It’s a shame, because up until this point, it was improving quite a lot. I think we were on for an even better lap, and then I got to turn 10.”
Despite the difficulties, eighth represents another encouraging step for Lawson during an unexpected weekend back with Red Bull.
The 24-year-old has had limited time to familiarise himself with the car after being called up for Zandvoort and said adapting to its characteristics has been one of his biggest challenges.
“It’s been a challenging weekend so far, but I’m pleased with how I’ve adapted, and I felt Qualifying was a positive session for me,” Lawson said.
“There’s a lot to adjust to in a short space of time, but the Team has done a great job getting me as comfortable as possible in the car. I’m grateful for all the work they’ve put in.
“Tomorrow will be tough, but the target is to hold our position, fight for points and keep learning. At the moment, Max is obviously the strongest reference I have, and it is good to see how close we are. But there’s still time to find, and we’d like a bit more pace from the car for the race.”
Lawson identified the steering characteristics and his seating position as two of the biggest differences compared with what he has become accustomed to at Racing Bulls.
“Other than the power unit, it’s just the way the car turns into corners,” he explained.
“The steering is the most different. We have very different steering feels just in terms of how much we use, how much we lock the car. And for me, that’s been the biggest thing to get my head around this weekend.”
He has also found the different seating position more physically demanding, adding another element to an already steep adjustment over a single race weekend.
For Lawson, however, reaching Q3 and qualifying just one place behind Verstappen provided a positive indication of the progress being made.
“For me personally, I knew that with the right circumstances, with more time, I know what I can do with a race car, and it was nice to at least put that to paper today.”
“Not what I expected, obviously, ending the break, but I think I’m pretty happy with today.”
Lawson will now turn his attention to the Grand Prix, where he will start from the fourth row alongside Verstappen as he looks to convert his strongest showing of the weekend into points.
Header Image: Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images via Red Bull Content Pool
