Liam Lawson left the Italian Grand Prix qualifying frustrated after being eliminated in Q2. The New Zealander finished 14th and pointed to the blockage he suffered on his last attempt as the main setback of the session.
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Lawson already knew he would start from the back of the grid due to the power unit component change. Therefore, his goal in qualifying was to advance to Q3 to help Max Verstappen with the slipstream, but the plan was compromised by traffic on the decisive lap.
“We knew we would have an engine penalty, so the focus in qualifying was to try to support Max by reaching Q3 and helping with the slipstream, but unfortunately we didn’t manage it,” he explained. “I spent the whole session with a clear track until that last lap, so being blocked by Oscar probably hurt more than anything else.”
Lawson added that the tires were also “super hot,” which further worsened the final attempt. Despite the elimination, the qualifying result does not significantly change his situation for the race, as the penalty would place him at the back of the grid anyway.
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Laurent Mekies also regretted the outcome. The Red Bull chief stated that Lawson once again did a good job for the team and highlighted that the traffic on his last lap prevented a possible Q3 appearance. “It’s a shame we missed the cut because of the traffic he encountered,” he assessed.
For Sunday, Lawson turns his attention to recovery. “It was a tough day overall, but I was already going to start last, so for my race that really doesn’t make a difference. I hope we can gain good positions tomorrow,” he concluded.
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