Racing
© Jonathan Borba
Liam Lawson recovered from a disrupted Friday to qualify eighth for the Spanish Grand Prix, giving Racing Bulls a realistic shot at more points after a stronger-than-expected showing in Barcelona.
Lawson produced a 1:16.542 in Q3 and finished ahead of Nico Hulkenberg in the session, capping what he called a very strong qualifying performance from the team. After losing valuable running time on Friday, especially in qualifying trim, he said Racing Bulls still delivered when it mattered.
“I’m quite happy with today,” Lawson said after qualifying. “We had a very strong qualifying session and managed to put together a consistent lap when it mattered most.”
His weekend had looked more complicated 24 hours earlier when an electrical issue stopped the car at the pit-lane exit early in FP2. The problem kept him out for the main part of the session and left him short of mileage at a circuit where track time can be critical.
Lawson said on Friday that the issue was relatively easy to fix, but admitted it was frustrating to lose the session. He also made clear the setback had come at the best possible time, saying it was far better for that kind of problem to happen in practice than in qualifying or the race.
The recovery mattered because Barcelona was Racing Bulls’ first proper chance to judge its Canada upgrade package on a high-speed circuit. Even with the curtailed running, Lawson said the signs were encouraging and that the updates appeared to be working well.
That confidence only grew on Saturday. Lawson said the car’s pace had been “a bit better than we expected,” a notable gain for a team trying to convert midfield promise into points. Starting eighth gives Racing Bulls a genuine opportunity to do that again, but Lawson expects tyre management to decide how much is possible.
“There is a great opportunity to score more points, but it will not be simple,” he said. “The race will be difficult because of the high tyre degradation at this circuit, so managing the tyres and executing everything correctly will be fundamental.”
Lawson arrived in Barcelona having scored in four of the previous five races, and his position on the fourth row puts Racing Bulls in range of extending that run if it can turn Saturday’s pace into a clean, well-managed race on Sunday.