Liam Lawson, the Racing Bulls driver, will begin Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix in ninth place, matching his second-best qualifying position of the season and marking only his third Q3 appearance in 2025. However, Lawson believes that a small mistake prevented him from achieving an even better result during the Spa qualifying session.
Lawson acknowledged the close margin between his position and a top-five start, indicating that the difference came down to just a fraction of a second on his fastest lap. He expressed frustration over the lost opportunity but remains focused on the race ahead.
“Honestly, yeah. I think the car was in the best place it’s been,”
Lawson told Sky Sports F1.
“Just tiny mistakes, well, one small mistake to be honest, that cost a bit of lap time.”
“When the margin for P5 is a tenth and a half away or whatever it is, so it’s frustrating.”
“I do feel like we missed out on today. Obviously tomorrow’s the important day to perform.”
Context of Lawson’s Qualifying and Recent Performances
This qualifying session marked Lawson’s third advancement into Q3 during the current Formula 1 season, having scored points on his two previous appearances in the final qualifying segment. This consistency shows progress, although Lawson is eager to build momentum after recent setbacks.
At the previous race in Silverstone, Lawson was eliminated from contention early due to a collision on the opening lap. Reflecting on his performance there, he admitted to being overly cautious, which ultimately did not pay off.
“If I look back to a couple of weeks ago, I was almost too cautious,”
Lawson admitted.
“I knew we were going to have a quick race car and it ended up wiping me out. So tomorrow we’ll just try and make the best out of it.”
Adapting to Weather and Track Challenges at Spa
Rain is forecasted to impact the Grand Prix, especially concerning the Eau Rouge section of the track, which presents a notable challenge when wet. Lawson recognized that strategies might have been adjusted during qualifying to prepare for changing conditions, but he remains focused on driving his best regardless of the weather.
“I think everyone has probably taken that into consideration today and maybe compromised a bit,”
Lawson noted.
He emphasized his intention not to worry about rain but to push for maximum speed during the race.
“At the end of the day, it will be what it’ll be.”
“I think for me I’m not going to stress about whether it rains or not and just try and drive as fast as I can tomorrow.”
“Eau Rouge is going to be quick in the wet. So if it does start wet, it’s going to rain tomorrow, if it is at the start, but yeah, let’s see.”
Team Dynamics Under New Leadership at Racing Bulls
This weekend marks the first under Alan Permane’s leadership as team principal for Racing Bulls. Permane assumed the role following Laurent Mekies’ promotion to Red Bull’s senior management after Christian Horner’s unexpected departure. Permane expressed satisfaction with the team’s performance improvement from Friday’s sprint qualifying session to Saturday’s main qualifying.
Despite some frustration after the sprint, Permane highlighted how the team’s detailed analysis and adjustments contributed to better results in qualifying.
“It was very good,”
Permane commented.
“We were a bit fed up yesterday actually. Even though we qualified in the sprint reasonably well, we felt we had more potential than that. So we spent a lot of time looking at what we could’ve done better… and it paid off today.”
He also pointed out that the team made balance tweaks rather than changing downforce levels, continuing with the setup they used in the sprint, which allowed drivers to fine-tune the car with additional track time during free practice.
“We didn’t change the downforce levels or anything,”
Permane explained.
“So we just tweaked the balance to what the guys had in sprint qualifying and then of course we had 14 laps this morning to really feel the car.”
Starting Grid Positions and Next Steps
For the race, Lawson will line up just behind his teammate Isack Hadjar, who secured eighth place in qualifying. This positioning sets both Racing Bulls drivers in the top ten, providing a solid platform for Sunday’s competition.
The Spa qualifying miss by Liam Lawson underlines the fine margins in Formula 1, where even the smallest errors can affect grid positions. With unpredictable weather forecast and a cautious approach balanced against confidence in the car’s pace, Lawson and the Racing Bulls team will be aiming to capitalize on their strong qualifying to score valuable points in the race.
Our Reader’s Queries
Q. Why did Liam Lawson lose his seat?
A. In three qualifying sessions with Red Bull, Lawson didn’t improve in his final runs because he made mistakes in two of them. This showed he was already pushing his limits. He only managed to improve in one session, specifically during the main race qualifying in China.
Q. How did Liam Lawson lose his seat?
A. This turned out to be the first competitive race event of the year in Australia. Lawson’s lap time in Q1 was over a second slower than Verstappen’s. He was also more than half a second away from making it to Q2 because of a messy last lap where he had trouble at the final chicane.
Q. Has Liam Lawson got a seat in 2025?
A. In 2025, Lawson moved from the Racing Bulls team to join the senior Red Bull team, replacing Sergio Perez as Max Verstappen’s teammate.
