{"id":4412,"date":"2026-10-25T03:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-25T06:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/?p=4412"},"modified":"2026-10-25T03:17:49","modified_gmt":"2026-10-25T06:17:49","slug":"lawson-explains-why-racing-bulls-stopped-him-from-setting-q3-lap-at-united-states-gp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/f1\/lawson-explains-why-racing-bulls-stopped-him-from-setting-q3-lap-at-united-states-gp\/","title":{"rendered":"Lawson explains why Racing Bulls stopped him from setting Q3 lap at United States GP"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">News Summary<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Liam Lawson qualified tenth for the 2026 United States Grand Prix without setting a lap in Q3, after Racing Bulls deliberately decided to save his fresh tyres for Sunday&#8217;s race.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The New Zealander admitted he wanted to continue qualifying and was frustrated by the team&#8217;s decision, but Arvid Lindblad&#8217;s five-place grid penalty effectively secured him ninth on the starting grid.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Lawson believes Racing Bulls has a competitive race car in Austin and expects a close battle with Alpine as the two teams continue fighting for fifth place in the Constructors&#8217; Championship.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Liam Lawson has revealed that Racing Bulls prevented him from taking part in the final segment of qualifying for the 2026 Formula 1 United States Grand Prix, despite having two unused sets of tyres available. The New Zealander reached Q3 at Circuit of The Americas on Saturday (October 24), but remained in the garage as the team prioritised its strategy for Sunday&#8217;s race.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The decision left Lawson tenth in the official qualifying classification, although he will start ninth following teammate Arvid Lindblad&#8217;s five-place grid penalty. The Racing Bulls driver admitted that he wanted to complete another flying lap and challenge for a stronger result, but acknowledged the potential benefits of preserving his tyres for the 56-lap race in Austin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Lawson reveals Racing Bulls decision to sacrifice Q3<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lawson had shown competitive pace throughout the weekend and reached the final part of qualifying for the ninth time this season. The 24-year-old progressed through Q1 using just one set of tyres before securing his place in Q3 with a lap of 1min35s058 in Q2, only 0.022 seconds ahead of Pierre Gasly, who was eliminated in 11th.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With two new tyre sets remaining, Lawson believed he had an opportunity to improve further. However, Racing Bulls had already established a plan to avoid unnecessary tyre usage if both drivers progressed to Q3, particularly because Lindblad was carrying a five-place grid penalty for exceeding his internal-combustion engine allocation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The New Zealander explained that the team did not consider it worthwhile to use another set of tyres in an attempt to move ahead of drivers from substantially faster teams, given that Racing Bulls was primarily fighting its direct midfield rivals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;I would have loved to have a go in Q3,&#8221; Lawson admitted after qualifying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;We actually got there with two sets as well, which is not normal for us. In a normal situation, if we&#8217;re fighting an Alpine or an Audi, having those two sets would have been great to use.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lawson acknowledged that the penalty imposed on Lindblad had played an important role in the decision. With both Racing Bulls cars inside the top ten, the team expected the Briton&#8217;s five-place drop to promote Lawson regardless of whether the New Zealander completed another lap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;I would have loved to have a go at it, but considering Arvid&#8217;s got a penalty, we&#8217;re going to be ninth and 10th anyway,&#8221; he explained. &#8220;It just didn&#8217;t make sense. Now we have plenty of tyres for tomorrow.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The decision was not entirely welcomed by Lawson, who admitted that he had tried to persuade Racing Bulls to allow him to complete another qualifying run.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;I&#8217;ll be honest, I said I want to go and do it, and they said &#8216;no&#8217;,&#8221; he revealed. &#8220;It&#8217;s frustrating a little bit for a driver, especially because we&#8217;ve had a very strong weekend so far. The car has been very good.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Despite the disappointment, Lawson accepted that the additional tyre options could prove valuable during Sunday&#8217;s Grand Prix, particularly if degradation or changes in track conditions create opportunities for different strategies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/f1-2026-estados-unidos-austin-treinos-livres-racing-bulls-liam-lawson-02-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"F1 2026, ESTADOS UNIDOS, AUSTIN, MEDIA DAY, RACING BULLS, LIAM LAWSON\" class=\"wp-image-1020318687\" srcset=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/f1-2026-estados-unidos-austin-treinos-livres-racing-bulls-liam-lawson-02-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/f1-2026-estados-unidos-austin-treinos-livres-racing-bulls-liam-lawson-02-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/f1-2026-estados-unidos-austin-treinos-livres-racing-bulls-liam-lawson-02-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/f1-2026-estados-unidos-austin-treinos-livres-racing-bulls-liam-lawson-02-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/f1-2026-estados-unidos-austin-treinos-livres-racing-bulls-liam-lawson-02-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/f1-2026-estados-unidos-austin-treinos-livres-racing-bulls-liam-lawson-02-150x100.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Liam Lawson (Photo: Red Bull Content Pool)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Lindblad beats Lawson in qualifying but drops five places for Austin race<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Although Lawson had generally enjoyed the stronger weekend, Lindblad emerged ahead in the official qualifying classification after completing a lap of 1min36s049 in Q3.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The British rookie admitted that he had struggled to match his teammate during practice, but was pleased with the improvements made during qualifying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;It hasn&#8217;t been an easy weekend so far on our side. We started on the back foot, as I&#8217;ve been a few tenths off Liam in every session, but when it mattered most, we put everything together and made it through to Q3,&#8221; Lindblad said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, Lindblad&#8217;s five-place engine penalty means he will start 14th, five positions behind Lawson. The result also allows Gasly, Nico H\u00fclkenberg, Fernando Alonso and Oliver Bearman to move ahead of the Racing Bulls rookie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The revised starting order is particularly important for Lawson because he will begin the race directly behind Lando Norris in eighth and ahead of Gasly in tenth. That puts the New Zealander in a position to fight for another points finish while defending Racing Bulls&#8217; advantage over Alpine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The complete starting order, including the penalties imposed on Lindblad, Franco Colapinto and Gabriel Bortoleto, is available in <a href=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/f1\/three-f1-drivers-handed-penalties-as-us-grand-prix-starting-grid-changes\/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\">GRANDE PR\u00caMIO&#8217;s revised United States Grand Prix starting grid<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Racing Bulls brings aerodynamic upgrades as Lawson targets more points<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Racing Bulls&#8217; competitiveness at Austin has also been supported by an aerodynamic development package introduced for the United States Grand Prix.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Chief technical officer Tim Goss described the team&#8217;s qualifying performance as a positive indication that its development programme continues to deliver results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;It was a really successful Qualifying session for VCARB today in Austin, with both Liam and Arvid making Q3,&#8221; Goss said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;We have brought some significant aerodynamic updates to the car for this event, and once again our pipeline of upgrades and correlation to track has proved it is delivering.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The improvements have given Lawson confidence heading into Sunday&#8217;s race, particularly after the team completed encouraging long runs during Friday&#8217;s practice sessions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lawson expects a competitive battle with Alpine, whose drivers were also close to Racing Bulls during qualifying. Gasly narrowly missed Q3 and will start tenth, while Colapinto faces a difficult recovery from 21st following his power-unit penalty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;We just need to drive a good race tomorrow. Obviously we start just in front of them. I think Pierre will be next to me. So I&#8217;m sure it&#8217;s going to be very, very close,&#8221; Lawson told F1 TV.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;They&#8217;ve been very strong. But I think we had a good long run on Friday. So we&#8217;ll see tomorrow.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The New Zealander also acknowledged that the decision to save tyres could provide an advantage if the race develops into a strategic contest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Lawson&#8217;s recent F1 results strengthen his 2027 Racing Bulls prospects<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Austin weekend comes at an important stage of Lawson&#8217;s Formula 1 career, with Racing Bulls yet to officially confirm its driver line-up for 2027.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The New Zealander has strengthened his position through a series of consistent performances, including 16 points across the Bahrain and Singapore weekends. He finished seventh in both Grands Prix and fifth in Singapore&#8217;s sprint, extending a productive run during the second half of the season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As <a href=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/f1\/lawson-delivers-16-points-in-two-f1-weekends-can-racing-bulls-afford-to-lose-him\/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\">GRANDE PR\u00caMIO established in its analysis of Lawson&#8217;s recent performances<\/a>, the driver has contributed 61 of Racing Bulls&#8217; 100 Constructors&#8217; Championship points, despite spending three rounds with Red Bull while substituting for Isack Hadjar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lawson has accumulated 75 points in the Drivers&#8217; Championship, including 14 earned during his temporary Red Bull appearance, compared with Lindblad&#8217;s 38.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">His advantage also extends to their direct comparison. Before the Austin weekend, <a href=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/f1\/lawson-leads-lindblad-10-4-in-f1-races-but-is-that-enough-for-2027\/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\">Lawson led Lindblad 9\u20135 in qualifying and 10\u20134 in races across their 14 shared Grands Prix<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Those results have reinforced the argument for retaining Lawson, although the team continues to evaluate its options for next season. Formula 2 contender Nikola Tsolov has also been linked with a potential promotion, while team principal Alan Permane has indicated that a decision will be made in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/f1\/racing-bulls-set-to-retain-lawson-and-lindblad-for-2027\/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\">Racing Bulls is expected to retain Lawson and Lindblad for 2027<\/a>, according to Sky Sports F1 reporter Ted Kravitz, but no official announcement has been made.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What time is Liam Lawson racing at the United States Grand Prix?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lawson will start the 2026 United States Grand Prix from ninth on the grid on Sunday, October 25.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The race takes place over 56 laps at Circuit of The Americas, with the start scheduled for 15:00 local time in Austin. For New Zealand viewers, the event begins on Monday morning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><th>Country \/ Region<\/th><th>Race start<\/th><\/tr><tr><td>New Zealand \u2014 Auckland (NZDT)<\/td><td>Monday, 09:00<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Australia \u2014 Sydney (AEDT)<\/td><td>Monday, 07:00<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>United States \u2014 Austin (CDT)<\/td><td>Sunday, 15:00<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>United States \u2014 New York (EDT)<\/td><td>Sunday, 16:00<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>United Kingdom (GMT)<\/td><td>Sunday, 20:00<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>India (IST)<\/td><td>Monday, 01:30<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fans can also consult <a href=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/f1\/antonelli-denies-verstappen-in-austin-qualifying-as-ferraris-pole-hopes-collapse\/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\">GRANDE PR\u00caMIO&#8217;s United States Grand Prix qualifying results<\/a> for the complete classification and gaps.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Liam Lawson wanted to fight for a better qualifying position in Austin, but Racing Bulls ordered him to remain in the garage to preserve fresh tyres for Sunday&#8217;s race. The New Zealander will start ninth following Arvid Lindblad&#8217;s grid penalty.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1020318803,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"42wp_featured_image_caption":"Liam Lawson ","42wp_featured_image_credits":"Red Bull Content Pool","42wp_featured_video":"","42wp_ai_content_disclaimer":"","42wp_is_ai_content":false,"42wp_featured_image_hidden":false,"42wp_authors_list":[{"id":7,"location":""}],"footnotes":"","42wp_hide_from_automatic":false,"42wp_breaking_news":false},"categories":[5],"tags":[325,196,95,718],"42wp_author":[7],"class_list":["post-4412","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-f1","tag-f1-2026","tag-liam-lawson","tag-racing-bulls","tag-united-states-gp","42wp_author-victor-martins"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4412","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4412"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4412\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4413,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4412\/revisions\/4413"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1020318803"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4412"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4412"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4412"},{"taxonomy":"42wp_author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/42wp_author?post=4412"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}