Liam Lawson will line up 19th on the grid for Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix after an early qualifying exit brought a disappointing end to what had looked like a promising build-up for the Kiwi at Monza.
The Racing Bulls driver was knocked out in Q1 after his final lap was deleted for track limits, leaving him at the foot of the timesheets. A penalty for teammate Isack Hadjar, who will start from the pit lane following a power unit change, means Lawson will move up one place for the race.
Lawson initially put in a banker lap of 1m 20.279s, which briefly had him 11th fastest. But as others improved, he was shuffled backwards and ultimately sat 20th, just 0.153s away from scraping through to Q2.
His second run showed promise until a mistake at the second Lesmo corner forced him wide, with understeer sending him off line. The lap was deleted, ending his session.
“A really disappointing session. Our lap was compromised when I picked up dirty air and had understeer through the middle of Turn 6, which caused me to run off track. It’s a shame because the car has been very quick all weekend. We had a few issues, but the guys in the garage worked hard and got everything sorted in time for qualifying,” said Lawson.
“This track isn’t straightforward, but there are overtaking opportunities. Starting from where I am, there are a lot of cars to get through; it’s going to be tough, but I’ll try my best to move forward.”
Lawson’s only valid time left him 0.442s short of a place in Q2. The result capped off a difficult day for Racing Bulls, with Hadjar also falling in Q1 after placing 16th.
It was the French rookie’s first early exit in qualifying, just a week on from scoring his maiden Formula 1 podium at Zandvoort.
“It was a frustrating Qualifying session for us. Carlos was out there on used tyres, and I felt like he was fighting hard to find the right track position. I still don’t know what he was doing, but my outlap was compromised, which was followed by a mistake I made in my push lap,” said Hadjar.
“Overall, though, our car is very fast around here. I was really happy with the feeling I had this morning in FP3 and during my first run in Q1, but starting last means that we’re going to have a challenging race. We’ll try our best to make a great recovery tomorrow.”
The weekend has been a challenge for Lawson from the outset. He missed the end of Saturday’s final practice after floor damage cut short his running, leaving him 16th in FP3 and almost eight-tenths off Lando Norris’ session-topping pace.
His mechanics completed repairs in time for qualifying, but Racing Bulls left both cars in the garage until late in Q1, leaving little margin for error.
At the front, Max Verstappen secured pole position with a new Monza lap record of 1m 18.792s, his first pole since Silverstone as well as setting the fastest lap in F1 History with an average speed of 264.682km/h.
The McLarens of Norris and Oscar Piastri slotted into second and third, while Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc delighted the home crowd by qualifying fourth.
Lewis Hamilton set the fifth-fastest time but will serve a five-place penalty from the Dutch Grand Prix, dropping him to 11th.
Header Image: Rudy Carezzevoli/ Getty Images via Red Bull Content Pool
