Liam Lawson has admitted he is now under pressure to salvage his F1 career after a disastrous start to 2025.
After his terrible weekend in Australia, Lawson needed an error-free weekend in Shanghai to start his fight back.
A disappointing sprint race hindered this effort, but he struggled once again in qualifying for tomorrow’s race.
His second lap time was deleted, relegating him to starting in last place, knocking his confidence further.
Team-mate Max Verstappen enjoyed a more productive day, and will start the race from fourth on the grid.
“Really tough” qualifying session for Liam Lawson
Speaking to Sky Sports after his elimination, Lawson admitted he had a “messy session”. He also admitted his first lap error put pressure on his second attempt.
“It’s just really tough, honestly. I think the window’s really small, I mean that’s known, but honestly, it’s not an excuse.
“I’ve got to get a handle of it. It was a messy session and had we not dealt with traffic and stuff like that, it might have been OK, but to be honest, it’s still not good enough to be having those issues. And that’s the reason that we get knocked out, we should be fast enough on our first lap.
“We should be. It shouldn’t be an issue, so I just need to get on top of it.”
Where to improve
Lawson admitted that time is running out to save his F1 career, stating he lacks 100% confidence in his RB21.
“I think it’s just time. Unfortunately I don’t really have time, but it’s just one of those things. I mean to drive a Formula 1 car, it takes 100% confidence in what you’re doing and it’s not that I don’t feel confident, but the window’s so small that right now I just seem to miss it. It’s that that I just need to get a handle on.
“So yeah, I don’t know how else to put it really, it’s just not good enough.”
Yuki Tsunoda’s performance in qualifying exacerbated Lawson’s troubles.. Rejected by Red Bull for 2025 in favour of Lawson, his season is in stark contrast to the New-Zealander.
He narrowly missed out on points in Australia, finished sixth in the sprint race, and lines up ninth for tomorrow’s race.
