Liam Lawson will start the Hungarian Grand Prix from 11th after narrowly missing a place in the final stage of qualifying at the Hungaroring, despite showing encouraging pace throughout Saturday.
The Kiwi enjoyed one of his strongest Saturdays of the season, finishing ninth in the final practice session before ending qualifying just 0.126 seconds shy of progressing to Q3.
After Racing Bulls worked overnight to repair Lawson’s car following power unit issues on Friday, the New Zealander rewarded the team’s efforts with a competitive display that suggests points are well within reach in Sunday’s race.
McLaren’s Lando Norris topped the final practice session with a best lap of 1:17.939, finishing just over a tenth clear of Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes youngster Kimi Antonelli.
Lawson comfortably featured inside the top 10 during the hour-long session, ending ninth fastest after continuing to build confidence around the technical Hungarian circuit. His Racing Bulls teammate Arvid Lindblad lost much of the session due to mechanical issues before eventually making it onto the track late.
The session was interrupted by a red flag when Sergio Perez ground to a halt shortly after exiting the pit lane with an apparent mechanical failure, limiting the amount of uninterrupted running available ahead of qualifying.
Despite the interruption, Lawson completed his preparations in positive fashion as McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes appeared closely matched heading into the fight for pole position.
Qualifying began strongly for the Kiwi as he comfortably progressed through Q1, with Norris setting the benchmark while several higher-profile rivals found themselves under pressure.
Lawson again looked capable of reaching the final shootout during Q2, but a lock-up on his first flying lap left him chasing time during his final attempt. Although he improved, it wasn’t enough to climb into the top 10, leaving him 11th fastest and just 0.126 seconds away from advancing.
Pierre Gasly, Franco Colapinto, Gabriel Bortoleto, Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso also exited in Q2.
At the front, Norris produced a superb final lap of 1:17.207 to snatch pole position from Hamilton in the closing moments of Q3. Charles Leclerc initially qualified third ahead of Max Verstappen, Kimi Antonelli and George Russell.
However, post-session penalties reshuffled the order. Hamilton received a three-place grid penalty for impeding Oscar Piastri, while Antonelli was also dropped three places for a yellow flag infringement.
Those penalties promoted Leclerc to the front row alongside Norris, with Piastri moving up to third and Verstappen fourth. Hamilton will now start fifth, followed by Russell, Antonelli, Isack Hadjar, Arvid Lindblad and Nico Hulkenberg, with Lawson first in line outside the top 10.
Despite the disappointment of narrowly missing Q3, Lawson believes Racing Bulls has the pace to challenge for points on Sunday.
“I’m disappointed with my execution in Q2. We were pretty good in Q1; however, I locked up in the first lap and didn’t have a strong second lap. It’s a shame as the car has been very good. Our long runs have been quick, so we should have a fast car for the race tomorrow. Points are definitely within reach, so it’s all to play for.”
Header Image: Sona Maleterova/Getty Images via Red Bull Content Pool
