A Racing Bulls dealt with mixed emotions in the qualifying for the Belgian GP of Formula 1. While Arvid Lindblad gave a positive assessment of the session, Liam Lawson regretted not being able to advance to Q3.
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The Briton managed the eighth fastest time in Saturday’s session (18), but with Lando Norris’s penalty, he moved up to seventh. Reflecting on it, he celebrated the positive day and highlighted the progress made by the team.
“It was a very positive Saturday, and it’s amazing to drive an F1 car on this fantastic track. The team did a brilliant job preparing a competitive package for this weekend; the car is fast and the new update is working very well. I lost a bit of time in the final chicane, so I’m a bit disappointed not to have extracted the full potential of the lap, but overall, I’m happy to have achieved my best qualifying result this season,” he said.
“We continue to evolve as a team, which is fantastic to see, so I want to thank everyone immensely for the hard work on developing the car. We hope that Lando and Isack gain positions coming from behind tomorrow, so we need to keep our feet on the ground; however, we will remain focused on making the most of every opportunity,” he continued.
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Meanwhile, the New Zealander finished 11th and did not make it to the final phase of qualifying, but also due to the loss of positions by the McLaren driver and Isack Hadjar, he moved up two positions on the grid – but since it was after the timing, he regretted staying in Q2.
“We were a bit below the ideal pace throughout the weekend, which was somewhat expected with the package we have here. I felt we did a good lap in qualifying, the balance was at a good level and I was satisfied with the car, but in the end, we simply didn’t have enough performance to advance to Q3,” he said.
“That said, the progress we have made as a team this season has been huge, the result of everyone’s hard work. The updates on Arvid’s car are clearly working well, which is very encouraging for next week when they will be implemented on my car as well. Tomorrow will be a tough race, but our race pace has been strong throughout the season; so, we hope to show that again and gain positions,” he concluded.
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