Liam Lawson has started his official stint at Red Bull after replacing Sergio Perez at the Austrian team. All eyes were on the Kiwi since he got the seat that Yuki Tsunoda spent four years at the junior team for.
However, Lawson did not get the start he wanted at Red Bull. The Kiwi had to sit out FP3 due to an issue with the power unit. Lawson’s Red Bull debut was ruined further when he got knocked out in Q1 at the Australian Grand Prix. His performance disappointed many since his teammate, Max Verstappen, went third fastest in qualifying.
Liam Lawson’s worrisome qualifying at the Australian GP
Red Bull as a whole had a lower-than-normal pace during the practice sessions. The Milton-Keynes outfit was even outperformed by the sister team, VCARB, during Free Practice 2.
Max Verstappen still managed to put his Red Bull in the top 3 during FP3 and Qualification, the same cannot be said for Lawson. The Kiwi was knocked out in Q1, managing only P18 for the race on Sunday.
Red Bull’s Decision in Question as Yuki Tsunoda Qualifies P5, Liam Lawson P18 in Australia
Lawson started his qualification run on a high but lost his rhythm after he went wide at Turn 3 and went into the gravel. This completely ruined his run, as he had to pit for the team to clear the gravel and check for damage on the car.
During his final run, the first half went well for the Kiwi, only for a moment at Turn 10 to force him to slow down, before he slid at the penultimate corner. The Red Bull driver then pitted and was promptly knocked out in Q1.
This performance led to many speculations that Red Bull chose the wrong driver as Yuki Tsunoda was P5 during qualifying while driving the VCARB-02. Lawson himself had words of disappointment on his performance, and missing FP3 just added to his woes.
Liam Lawson attributes Q1 knockout to the missed FP3
Red Bull’s newest driver has come out to talk about his nightmare start to the Australian GP. He has talked about how his missing FP3, along with many other factors, cost him his qualifying.
“I think missing FP3 this morning was really costly for us, just not really doing much quali prep for today. And I don’t think it’s car-specific, it’s not like this car is way harder to drive, and that is why I make mistakes. It’s just, I think, tough track, lack of driving, and then being stupid,” said Lawson.
🏁| The results of the first Qualifying session of 2025:
Lando Norris on pole with Oscar Piastri making it a 1-2.
Max Verstappen in 3rd with Williams looking like they mean business this year#F1 #AustralianGP pic.twitter.com/n6oVk1qFCN
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) March 15, 2025
The Kiwi also blamed his own mistakes for his lack of performance at the qualifying. Missing FP3 meant that Lawson couldn’t get in the prep for qualifying and made “stupid” mistakes. The Albert Park circuit is also prone to giving drivers a hard time, especially the rookies.
Liam Lawson now has to bounce back to the top 10 at least at the ultimate race of the Australian Grand Prix to vindicate himself. With the race on Sunday, fans are excited to see how the Kiwi can prove that he deserves his seat.
