News Summary
- Liam Lawson qualified eighth for the Singapore GP sprint, nine places ahead of Racing Bulls teammate Arvid Lindblad.
- Lawson credited setup changes after a difficult FP1, while Lindblad blamed limited running and a mistake at Turn 13.
- The result comes as Racing Bulls prepares to decide its 2027 line-up, with Nikola Tsolov also in contention.
Liam Lawson strengthened his case for a place on the 2027 Formula 1 grid by qualifying eighth for the Singapore GP sprint, nine positions ahead of Racing Bulls teammate Arvid Lindblad, as the team continues evaluating its options for next season.
The New Zealander reached SQ3 at Marina Bay and recorded a 1:32.341, securing the final points-paying starting position for Saturday’s 21-lap sprint. Lindblad, meanwhile, was eliminated in SQ1 with a 1:35.136, leaving the rookie 17th on the grid.
The contrast came after Racing Bulls struggled to find a competitive setup during Friday’s only practice session. Lawson finished FP1 in 10th, but improvements made before sprint qualifying allowed him to challenge further up the order.
Lawson credits Racing Bulls changes for SQ3 performance
Lawson admitted that the team had struggled during practice, making the subsequent improvement particularly encouraging.
“I feel pretty happy with today’s Sprint Qualifying, particularly given we weren’t strong during FP1,” Lawson said. “We made some changes in between sessions and they clearly paid off. It feels as though we’re in a good place ahead of tomorrow and will of course push to stay within the points.”
The changes helped Lawson progress through both elimination stages and secure eighth place, ahead of Red Bull driver Isack Hadjar and Alpine’s Pierre Gasly.
Lawson also acknowledged that keeping the position would be difficult, particularly with Hadjar starting immediately behind him.
“Honestly we weren’t that strong earlier today, but we made some changes. Maybe [temperatures] cooling off helped us as well,” Lawson told reporters. “We’re in a good place. Isack [Hadjar] will be fast behind, so I’m sure it will be tough to keep him there for the race.”
Lawson has already scored sprint points in China and at Silverstone this season, giving him an opportunity to add a third points finish in Singapore.
Lindblad admits mistake after SQ1 elimination
Lindblad endured a more difficult session, with limited experience of Marina Bay making the compressed sprint format particularly demanding.
The rookie had only one free-practice session to learn the street circuit before qualifying began, with changing track conditions and interruptions further complicating his preparation.
“It wasn’t the best Sprint Qualifying session. It’s a tough situation coming in as a rookie with only one Free Practice session at a street circuit, especially with the very different conditions under the lights compared to this afternoon,” Lindblad said.
“I wanted to complete a few laps in SQ1 to build up confidence, but the yellow flag meant we weren’t able to do that. I had a bit of a moment at Turn 13 and lost some time, which ultimately cost us a place in SQ2.”
“All focus is now on to Qualifying tomorrow, where we’ll look to extract the maximum from the car and put ourselves in the best possible position for Sunday.”
Lindblad finished 17th, missing the opportunity to advance into SQ2. His result contrasted with Lawson’s progress into the final segment, although the interruptions and their different levels of circuit experience affected the comparison.
Racing Bulls praises Lawson’s improvement
Racing Bulls technical director Dan Fallows highlighted the team’s progress between practice and sprint qualifying, particularly after changes aimed at improving competitiveness against Audi and Alpine.
The team also made adjustments to its cooling systems, with Singapore’s heat and humidity creating additional demands on the cars.
“Liam made solid progress throughout the sessions however, building confidence in the car and delivering a fantastic lap to secure P8 on the grid for tomorrow’s Sprint,” Fallows said.
Racing Bulls enters Saturday’s sprint fighting Alpine for fifth place in the Constructors’ Championship, making another points finish particularly valuable.
The complete Singapore sprint qualifying results show Lawson eighth and Lindblad 17th, with Max Verstappen taking pole ahead of George Russell and Charles Leclerc.
Lawson’s 2027 future remains undecided
Lawson’s performance comes amid uncertainty over Racing Bulls’ driver line-up for 2027.
Team principal Alan Permane confirmed in Singapore that the organisation is considering three candidates for two race seats, with Lawson, Lindblad and Formula 2 contender Nikola Tsolov in the picture.
“It’s going to be in the coming weeks. We’re not in a rush,” Permane said when asked about the announcement.
“They’re all there and ready to go, but three doesn’t fit into two, of course.”
The team is assessing both immediate performance and long-term development potential as part of the Red Bull driver programme.
Lawson’s result in Singapore follows a series of strong performances in the second half of the season, including seventh place at Zandvoort and sixth in Madrid.
The complete Singapore GP schedule, including sprint and broadcast information is available in GRANDE PRÊMIO‘s weekend guide. GRANDE PRÊMIO follows the latest Formula 1 news throughout the Singapore GP weekend.
