'F***, sorry man': Lawson disappointed, despite top 10 start in Madrid
Liam Lawson is a chance to add to his 2026 Formula One points haul, after qualifying eighth for the inaugural Spanish Grand Prix at the Circuito de Madrid.
Having shown pace all weekend, with top 10 finishes in all three practice sessions, Lawson continued to prove his adaptability on an unfamiliar track, with all 22 drivers starting on a level playing field for the sport’s first trip to the Spanish capital’s new circuit.
As a proven performer on street circuits, Lawson was untroubled in reaching the third and final stage of qualifying (Q3), before posting a best lap of 1m 32.316s to finish 0.492s off the pace.
Despite qualifying eighth, though, Lawson felt he should be starting higher after fighting at the front in earlier sessions.
“F***, sorry man,” Lawson was heard telling race engineer Richard Wood after qualifying. “It felt pretty clean, I don’t know what else to do.”
“We were very competitive through the first part of quali,” he clarified after. “Unfortunately it just fell away from us in Q3.
“Everybody else made quite a big step in Q3, and we just missed out. It’s a shame, I think we were very competitive today.”
In what should prove to be his final race at Red Bull, with Isack Hadjar expected to return for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix later this month, Lawson’s second top 10 start from three attempts – the third denied by an engine penalty at Monza – will go a long way to proving to the team’s decisionmakers he’s worth keeping around for 2027, at a time where his future remains undecided.
At the front of the grid, McLaren’s Lando Norris claimed pole position, with his best lap of 1m 31.824s clear of world championship leader Kimi Antonelli in second by just 0.011s.
Norris starting on pole is all the more impressive, after the reigning world champion spent most of Saturday’s second practice session in the McLaren garage with a gearbox issue.
Lawson’s temporary teammate Max Verstappen will start third, after finishing 0.140s back from Norris, and 0.352s up on the Kiwi.
Meanwhile, Lawson’s fulltime teammate Arvid Lindblad continued his run of top 10 starts by clocking the 10th fastest time, while the Kiwi’s replacement at Racing Bulls Yuki Tsunoda managed 15th.
Liam Lawson at the Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid. Photo / Red Bull
The Spanish Grand Prix gets underway at 1am on Monday morning (NZT).
As one of the final drivers out on track in Q1, Lawson’s opening effort of 1m 33.316s took him to the top of the timesheets, to sit a huge 3.728s clear of the drop after all drivers – bar Haas’ Ollie Bearman, who crashed in the final practice session – had posted a timed lap.
Effectively through without needing to improve on his first lap, Lawson went quicker on his second run – and posted a lap of 1m 33.310s – and advanced into Q2 as the third-fastest car.
A raucous home crowd, meanwhile, had to contend with seeing the grid’s two Spanish drivers, Carlos Sainz and Fernando Alonso, fail to advance from the first stage of qualifying.
Into Q2, Lawson was again one of the final drivers to set his first lap, and opened with an effort of 1m 32.874s, to go fourth – 0.924s clear of elimination.
And while there was no suggestion Lawson would fail to reach the final session, improving his time once again, posting a lap of 1m 32.780s, saw the Kiwi comfortably into Q3 for the second time in his three-race Red Bull stint.
An opening Q3 effort of 1m 32.633s had Lawson eighth in the final session, where he’d remain despite improving with his final lap of the day.
Spanish Grand Prix qualifying results
- Lando Norris - McLaren
- Kimi Antonelli - Mercedes
- Max Verstappen - Red Bull
- Lewis Hamilton - Ferrari
- Charles Leclerc - Ferrari
- George Russell - Mercedes
- Oscar Piastri - McLaren
- Liam Lawson - Red Bull
- Franco Colapinto - Alpine
- Arvid Lindblad - Racing Bulls
- Nico Hulkenberg - Audi
- Gabriel Bortoleo - Audi
- Esteban Ocon - Haas
- Pierre Gasly - Alpine
- Yuki Tsunoda - Racing Bulls
- Alex Albon - Williams
- Carlos Sainz - Williams
- Fernando Alonso - Aston Martin
- Sergio Perez - Cadillac
- Valtteri Bottas - Cadillac
- Lance Stroll - Aston Martin
Did not start: Ollie Bearman - Haas
Alex Powell is a sports journalist for the NZ Herald. He has been a sports journalist since 2016.
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