Liam Lawson “hit a wall” in “disappointing” Japan qualifying
While Liam Lawson showed a visible improvement in form after returning to Racing Bulls, the final result still left him disappointed.
Liam Lawson says he and Racing Bulls “hit a wall” with the set-up of the car after being knocked out in Q2 at the Japanese Grand Prix.
Lawson showed promising pace at the start of the weekend after being demoted from Red Bull’s flagship team, ending up fifth in a red flag-disrupted second practice on Friday.
However, the Kiwi failed to build up on that potential in qualifying, ending up a distant 14th on the timesheets with a lap that was seven tenths off the pace.
He will line up 13th on Sunday after Williams’ Carlos Sainz was handed a three-place grid penalty for impeding Ferrari rival Lewis Hamilton.
While Lawson did manage to beat Yuki Tsunoda, the driver who replaced him at Red Bull, he was no match to his own teammate Isack Hadjar, who qualified an excellent seventh for Sunday’s race.
The Kiwi did not shy away from admitting that he was unhappy with the result, having failed to make the step he needed to reach Q3.
“It was a disappointing end, to be honest,” Lawson told F1’s official website. “We had a competitive car yesterday and had sort of a good Q1.
“We were trying to chase a balance through qualifying. It got to a point in Q2 where we couldn't really tune it much more.
“Unfortunately we just hit a wall and struggled in run two. Honestly, it felt like a good lap. so it's something we will review.”
Rain is forecast at the resurfaced Suzuka circuit on Sunday, which could shake up the order and bring midfielders into play.
F1 has already had a wet-weather race this year in the Australian GP from which Lawson crashed out after losing control of his Red Bull car on slick tyres.
However, the 23-year-old said he would welcome rain this time at Suzuka, having qualified so far down the grid.
“That will change everything really but it allows an opportunity for us to hopefully move forward,” he said.
“Around this place, we have seen in the past it [rain] is quite eventful. The new surface will be quite different as well to drive in the rain, it will probably hold some water.
“From where I’m starting, I wouldn't mind a bit of rain.”
