Double rebuild and a bruising Saturday for Lawson
Liam Lawson’s Singapore Grand Prix weekend has been a test of resilience. The Racing Bulls driver crashed in both FP2 and FP3, forcing the Faenza squad to rebuild his VCARB 02 twice before qualifying. The compromised preparation told: Lawson will start P14 and admitted the performance was “obviously not good enough.”
Reflecting on qualifying, Lawson said the final lap simply didn’t come together. “I think it was looking pretty good until the last lap. I don’t really know why we went slower on the new tyre, but obviously something that is probably a consequence of missing all those laps because of me crashing the car. It’s something I’ll learn from.”
‘Grabbed the kerb and it spat me out’
Asked about the FP3 incident at the exit of Turn 7, Lawson was candid about the mistake. “Yeah, I just grabbed the kerb and it spat me out. It’s something that can happen around these types of tracks, but for me to do it two days in a row is pretty poor.”
Despite the setbacks, he issued a heartfelt message to his crew: “It’s hurt us this weekend, but all I can say is a massive thank you to the team for fixing the car twice.”
Internal pressure and the bigger picture
With Isack Hadjar reaching Q3 and qualifying eighth in the sister car, Lawson is facing increased pressure in the Red Bull driver pool alongside Yuki Tsunoda. He admitted he has “absolutely no idea” how this difficult Singapore round might affect his future — a stark contrast to the momentum of his career-best P5 just two weeks ago in Baku.
Race-day hopes
From P14, points will be a tall order. “I mean, it’s gonna be very hard from where we are, but the car has been fast, so let’s see,” Lawson said, eyeing a clean run and the chance to convert any openings that come his way under the lights.
