Liam Lawson finished the qualifying session for the Spanish Grand Prix in eighth position, after failing to keep up with the performance gain of direct competitors in the decisive phase. The Racing Bulls driver, who continues to replace the injured Isack Hadjar at Red Bull Racing for another GP weekend, highlighted the progress made throughout the sessions over the weekend, but acknowledged that he expected to be further ahead.
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Lawson started the qualifying session showing competitiveness, but lost ground as the session progressed: “We seemed competitive at the start of the session, so it would have been good to fight a bit further ahead, but unfortunately Q3 didn’t fit for us,” he said.
The New Zealander noted that the rivals managed to find more lap time during the different phases, while his team could not produce the same performance jump. Still, Lawson positively assessed the work done since the beginning of the week and said he is increasingly comfortable behind the wheel of the main team’s car.
“I’m happy with the progress we’ve made compared to where we were at the start of the week, and I feel more comfortable in the car every time I get in it,” he added. He also commented that there are still points to be understood and taken into the race, but the balance so far is one of evolution.
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The task of gaining positions, however, will not be simple. Lawson highlighted the difficulty of overtaking on the new circuit and also the challenge of exploring the limits without making mistakes, which reduces the chances of recovery just by pace.
Even so, he remains confident in the car’s potential, which showed speed throughout the weekend: “The car seemed fast all weekend, so I’m excited for the race. I hope we can put ourselves in the middle of the fight and move forward tomorrow,” he concluded.
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