Liam Lawson will start ninth at Formula One’s Belgian Grand Prix, finishing inside the top 10 for the second time of the day at Spa-Francorchamps.
Already with a 10th-placed finish, albeit without points, in the 15-lap sprint race, the Kiwi driver advanced to the third and final qualifying session (Q3),on a day that saw all four Red Bull-backed cars inside the top 10.
Lawson’s previous two visits to Q3 this season – in Monaco and Austria – have both returned points finishes.
Lawson can also bank on his junior record in Belgium, with a win and two more podiums at Spa across Formula Two and Formula Three.
“The car was in the best place it’s been,” Lawson told Sky Sports UK. “It was one small mistake, to be honest, that cost a bit of lap time.
“P5 is a 10th-and-a-half away. It’s frustrating, we’re all trying to find the perfect lap. I do feel like we missed out today. But tomorrow is the important day.”
As the battle for the drivers title continues for another race weekend, McLaren have locked out the front row. Lando Norris has taken pole position, hunting a third straight grand prix victory, with a best time of 1m 40.562s.
Current world championship leader Oscar Piastri starts alongside Norris, with a nine-point advantage in the championship. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc will start third.
While Lawson starts ninth, teammate Isack Hadjar qualified eighth, after beating the Kiwi by just 0.018s. Meanwhile, senior Red Bull stablemates Max Verstappen and Yuki Tsunoda qualified fourth and seventh respectively.
Potentially altering the equation for lights out is the fact that rain is forecast for the race, which begins at 2am on Monday (NZT).
His first timed lap of 1m 41.765s saw him shoot to the top of the leaderboard – ahead of the first efforts of both McLaren and Mercedes cars, as well as Verstappen – even if it didn’t stand as the session’s fastest.
By the time all 20 drivers had set a lap in Q1, Lawson was third and had 0.780s in hand to stave off an early exit. As he improved his Q1 mark to 1m 41.748s, Lawson was relatively untroubled and advanced with the eighth-best time.
Liam Lawson (left) and race engineer Ernesto Desiderio at the Belgian Grand Prix. Photo / Red Bull
Into Q2, where he was eliminated 24 hours earlier, Lawson’s first effort of 1m 41.753s was enough for 10th place, 0.202s clear of the drop. Again, he needn’t have worried.
Emerging from the garage for his final lap with less than two minutes remaining, Lawson improved again to post a lap of 1m 41.297s and advance again as the eighth-best driver in Q2.
What’s more, all four of the Red Bull-backed cars advanced into the final qualifying session for the first time this season. However, both Verstappen and Tsunoda were forced to start Q3 on used tyres, after running out of fresh sets after the sprint qualifying on Friday.
In the final minutes of the session, Lawson was able to register the ninth-fastest time, crossing the line in 1m 41.328s, with hopes of a third points finish of 2025.
Belgian Grand Prix starting grid
Lando Norris – McLaren
Oscar Piastri – McLaren
Charles Leclerc – Ferrari
Max Verstappen – Red Bull
Alex Albon – Williams
George Russell – Mercedes
Yuki Tsunoda – Red Bull
Isack Hadjar – Racing Bulls
Liam Lawson – Racing Bulls
Gabriel Bortoleto – Sauber
Esteban Ocon – Haas
Ollie Bearman – Haas
Pierre Gasly – Alpine
Nico Hulkenberg – Sauber
Carlos Sainz – Williams
Sir Lewis Hamilton – Ferrari
Franco Colapinto – Alpine
Kimi Antonelli – Mercedes
Fernando Alonso – Aston Martin
Lance Stroll – Aston Martin
Alex Powell is a sports journalist for the NZ Herald. He has been a sports journalist since 2016.
