Liam Lawson expressed his disappointment at not qualifying higher than ninth for the 2026 Singapore GP. Speaking to media, including Vision F1, the Racing Bulls driver felt that qualifying ahead of Pierre Gasly would have been a better result.
Lawson qualified ninth, while his teammate Arvid Lindblad secured 10th on the grid. The New Zealander was fourth-fastest in Q1 and eighth-fastest in Q2. In Q3, he appeared quick enough to challenge the Alpine drivers but was unable to improve on his final attempt. Gasly, meanwhile, found time on his final lap to qualify ahead of both Racing Bulls drivers.
Lawson felt the final qualifying session had been disappointing. Despite a strong sprint qualifying session and competitive performances in the first two qualifying segments, he was unable to put together the perfect lap around the Marina Bay circuit. The car’s strong performance and predictable handling throughout the weekend only added to his frustration. The New Zealander felt that eighth place would have been a more satisfactory result, particularly given Racing Bulls’ battle with Alpine in the constructors’ championship.
Asked by Vision F1 if he was satisfied with his ninth place on the grid, Liam Lawson said:
“Not really. It’s been a very strong weekend so far, though, so obviously very happy with where the car’s at. We’ve had a strong quali [qualifying] yesterday, strong quali today. Just Q3 didn’t quite come together. So a little bit frustrating, but obviously tomorrow’s the important day.”
Asked what would have been a satisfying result, he replied:
“I mean, just in front of him [Gasly], it’s one place, but, um, yeah, it’s an important place for us.”
Liam Lawson believes Alpine are still a threat to Racing Bulls
Liam Lawson believes Racing Bulls’ fifth place in the constructors’ championship is not secure, with Alpine posing a serious threat. Despite Racing Bulls’ strong performances and points finishes in recent races, the New Zealander feels Alpine have the quicker car. He believes his team’s recent results have come from maximising the car’s potential, but reckons the French outfit had the edge in outright pace in Singapore.
Lawson attributed some of his limitations during the session to pushing the car to its limits, which led to excessive rear tyre wear. He was frustrated by a moment when he lost control of the car and slid, further wearing out his rear tyres. However, he remains focused on the main race, which will ultimately determine the points on offer.
Asked if the fifth place in the constructors championship was secure, he replied:
“It’s definitely not secure. I mean, we’ve been scoring points, but I think it’s because we’ve been maximising and honestly, we haven’t always been quicker than them, but we’ve still been outscoring. So, yeah, I think… They’re still, you know, very, very fast. Today, obviously, they were quicker than us. We should have really been quicker than them if I’d done a good job, but it’s very, very close and I expect it to be like that for the rest of the year.”
Asked about the limitations with his performance in the qualifying sessions, Liam Lawson replied:
“We just went quite aggressive to try and maximise the lap, and on top of that, I pushed quite hard and just had a big slide and cooked the rear tire. So yeah, a bit frustrating. But obviously tomorrow’s what counts.”
Racing Bulls lead the midfield and currently sit fifth in the constructors’ championship with 94 points, holding a 24-point advantage over Alpine. The French team have failed to score in two of the three races during the Asian triple-header. Liam Lawson has contributed 69 points to Racing Bulls’ tally, while his rookie teammate has collected 38 points.
