Liam Lawson of Racing Bulls (RB) delivered a statement performance at the Red Bull Ring, securing sixth on the grid for Sunday’s Austrian GP and reigniting his 2025 F1 campaign. The New Zealander, now back with Racing Bulls, produced his strongest qualifying display since last year’s São Paulo round, confirming the speed he and the team have quietly been working to unlock.
After starting the season with the senior Red Bull team and being sidelined following two challenging events, Lawson has steadily worked to rebuild both confidence and consistency. This time, his pace in practice translated cleanly into qualifying execution, with a near-flawless Q3 lap landing him among the frontrunners.
“It feels like it’s been a long time! It’s really cool to have a good Quali,” said a visibly relieved Lawson.
“We see everything behind the scenes and in the last couple of races everything’s felt really good, honestly. I’ve felt really good. We’ve done a lot of work on the car, and on my side as well, just to make it more comfortable for me. It’s been there, it just hasn’t shown, so it’s nice to show it today, but obviously tomorrow is also the important day.”
Development pays off as pace comes together
Lawson’s resurgence did not come overnight. Since returning to RB, the team has focused on setup fine-tuning and helping Lawson adapt more fully to the RB02 chassis. Despite glimpses of competitiveness in Canada and Spain, qualifying had remained a sticking point—until now.
This time, a smooth run through all three sessions at the 2025 F1 Austrian GP allowed the RB driver to maximise the car’s potential on a track where small margins separate the entire midfield.
“A smooth Quali, honestly,” Lawson said. “The last couple of weekends the pace has been there through practice – Canada was strong, Barcelona was strong, and just in Quali it wasn’t.“
“This weekend, of all the weekends to get it across the line, it’s been cool because it’s so close. It puts pressure on us behind the wheel to execute, and same on the team.”
“With the car we’ve been fine-tuning all weekend and we don’t have time to miss anything, because everybody else is chasing as well. It’s cool to get it across the line!”
Race strategy the next challenge
Although Lawson has only one points finish to his name this season—eighth in Monaco—his performance in Austria offers a chance to improve on that. Still, the task on Sunday will be far from straightforward, with tyre wear and traffic expected to play major roles.
“I hope so!” Lawson said when asked if more points were possible. “At the same time, the [tyre degradation] is decent, and the long runs are tricky. We had a good long run [in practice], but it’s always different in a race when you’re in traffic, and I’m sure there’s going to be a mix of strategies.”
A strategic shake-up, potentially involving alternate pit windows and compound choices, may open opportunities—or turn promising positions into hard-fought battles. Execution will be critical.
Frustration for Hadjar after missed Q3 shot
While Lawson delivered his best Saturday of the season, rookie RB team-mate Isack Hadjar found himself on the wrong end of a Q2 elimination at the 2025 F1 Austrian GP. After a strong showing in Q1, the Frenchman struggled with inconsistency and failed to replicate his earlier form.
“It’s disappointing, because Q1 was looking really good,” said Hadjar. “Even my Q1 lap would have qualified me for Q3, so I don’t know how we can go backwards from that. Usually we make progress and it wasn’t the case today, so it’s very disappointing. It was very inconsistent in Q2, on both new sets of tyres as well, so it’s hard to understand.”
Hadjar’s debrief highlighted just how tight the margins are in modern F1 qualifying. With the midfield more competitive than ever, one small misstep—be it temperature, traffic, or timing—can cost multiple grid positions.
A crucial weekend for RB
With Lawson in the top six and Hadjar still showing raw speed, the 2025 F1 Austrian GP presents a key opportunity for RB to put both cars in the points. For Lawson, it also represents a chance to solidify his comeback narrative, proving that he can be not just fast—but reliable under pressure.
