Lawson’s Qualifying Performance and Grid Penalties
Liam Lawson, the Kiwi F1 driver, is set to begin the Belgian Grand Prix from ninth position. This improved starting grid placement follows penalties applied to other drivers. Initially, Lawson qualified 11th, narrowly missing the third stage of qualifying by just 0.038 seconds. However, power unit-related grid penalties for Red Bull’s Isaac Hadjar and McLaren’s Lando Norris allowed Lawson to move up two spots on the grid.
Lawson acknowledged the car’s performance throughout the weekend, stating, “We’ve been a bit slow all weekend. We put together the best car we had. It felt quite good, just too slow.” He also expressed anticipation for the race, adding, “Tomorrow is going to be a hard race, but I’ll do my best.” This starting position comes amidst a strong season for the 24-year-old, who has secured points in all but two races this season and currently holds 10th place in the World Drivers’ Standings.
Lawson’s teammate, Arvid Lindblad, out-qualified him and will start the race from seventh. Lindblad received an upgraded cooling system for his VCARB 03, a decision made due to the limited time available to implement the upgrade on both cars after the British Grand Prix. The Belgian Grand Prix is scheduled for Monday morning.
Mercedes Dominance and Upgrade Decisions
Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes secured pole position for the Belgian Grand Prix, despite efforts from Red Bull drivers. The 19-year-old Italian outperformed Max Verstappen by 0.317 seconds. Verstappen, who initially set the fastest time with assistance from teammate Isack Hadjar, acknowledged that even with a significant slipstream, his Red Bull could not match Antonelli’s Mercedes in qualifying conditions. Hadjar’s help was crucial, with Verstappen noting, “The gap in qualifying even with a massive tow is still three-tenths, so I don’t really expect to race (Mercedes) tomorrow.”
The decision regarding car upgrades for Racing Bulls drivers Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad involved a unique process. Racing Bulls Team Principal Alan Permane explained that upgrading both cars was not feasible due to the time constraints between the British Grand Prix and the Belgian Grand Prix. The upgrades included an updated sidepod, roll hoop, brake drum, and rear wing, with the cooling update exclusively fitted to Lindblad’s car.
Permane described how he presented the situation to both drivers in Austria. He initially suggested not upgrading any cars for Spa and waiting until the next race in Budapest for both, but this was not seriously considered. Instead, a decision was made to allocate the upgrade based on qualifying performance at Silverstone. Permane stated, “The next thing I said is we can flip a coin, or make it a little bit of fun and say whoever qualifies in front in Silverstone gets the upgrade, and they both signed up for that and that’s what we did.” He also indicated that if a similar situation arises later in the season, Lawson would be prioritised for future upgrades.
Race Day Challenges and Teammate Battle
During the Belgian Grand Prix, Liam Lawson experienced a challenging race, which ultimately ended his streak of five consecutive points finishes. Despite a strong start where he climbed from ninth to sixth amidst early race incidents that eliminated George Russell and delayed others, Lawson found it difficult to maintain his position. He initially ran ahead of teammate Arvid Lindblad and remained within the points after an early Safety Car period. However, as faster cars recovered through the field, Lawson began to fall back.
Lawson eventually fell behind Lindblad and was passed by Lando Norris on Lap 10. He became the first driver in the top 10 to pit on Lap 16, rejoining the race behind Lindblad, which led to a close battle between the two Racing Bulls drivers. During this battle, Lawson briefly went off track into the gravel at Les Combes but continued. He later faced pressure from both Alpine drivers in the fight for the final points positions. Franco Colapinto eventually overtook Lawson and Pierre Gasly on the Kemmel Straight, pushing Lawson out of the top 10.
Reflecting on the race, Lawson commented, “We were just too slow overall. So it’s frustrating.” He added, “But honestly after quali yesterday, I knew we weren’t as quick as we needed to be. And then, yeah, good start, but just fighting a losing battle through the race.” Despite his own result, Lawson expressed encouragement for Lindblad’s performance, noting that his teammate demonstrated the potential of the upgraded car. Lindblad converted his strong qualifying performance into a ninth-place finish, extending his own points-scoring streak to five races and contributing to Racing Bulls moving level with Alpine on 61 points in the constructors’ championship.
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Source: 1news.co.nz
