Liam Lawson enjoyed his strongest day yet at the Qatar Grand Prix, qualifying an impressive 12th after a difficult Friday and outperforming teammate Yuki Tsunoda as both
Racing Bulls drivers await confirmation of their 2026 seats. The Kiwi, who climbed from 16th to 14th in the sprint race, delivered his best-ever Qatar qualifying performance with a 1:20.433 lap—just 0.083 seconds short of a place in Q3 and a significant improvement on his 2023 and 2024 starting positions.
Lawson also advanced through Q1 with a clutch final lap, finishing the session seventh, though small setup changes left the car more difficult to handle in Q2. Meanwhile, McLaren dominated the day as Oscar Piastri won the sprint and claimed pole for the Grand Prix ahead of teammate Lando Norris, with Max Verstappen third.
Lawson’s teammate Isack Hadjar impressed again with sixth on the grid amid expectations of an imminent Red Bull promotion.
Despite overtaking challenges at Losail, Lawson showed strong race craft—making more sprint overtakes than any other driver—and continues to build momentum in the season’s final rounds.
