Formula 1: Liam Lawson narrowly misses top 10 in Hungarian Grand Prix qualifying

“I’m disappointed with my execution in Q2,” Lawson said post-qualifying. “I locked up in the first lap, and didn’t have a strong second lap.

“It’s a shame, the car has been very good. Our long runs have been quick, so we should have a fast car for the race.

“Points are definitely within reach, so it’s all to play for.”

Teammate Arvid Lindblad will carry Racing Bulls’ hopes, after qualifying ninth, and will start higher than Lawson for the third race in succession, after also changing his power unit earlier in the day.

At the front of the field, reigning world champion Lando Norris became the first non-Mercedes driver to take pole position this season, with his best lap of 1m 17.207s seeing him pip Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton by just 0.012s.

However, no driver has won the Hungarian Grand Prix from pole since Hamilton in 2020.

While Hamilton was just milliseconds away from setting the fastest time, a post-qualifying grid penalty for impeding Norris’ McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri has relegated him to fifth.

Instead, Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc will start on the front row, giving him the chance to continue his upturn in form after a win and another podium in his last two races.

Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli would have started third after Hamilton’s relegation, but was penalised for not slowing for yellow flags, and starts seventh as a result.

Piastri will instead start third, directly behind his teammate, while Red Bull’s Max Verstappen completes the second row.

The Hungarian Grand Prix begins at 1am on Monday morning (NZT).

Leaving the garage with just over 10 minutes left in Q1, Lawson was the final driver to post a lap in the first session. Once he did cross the line, though, his first mark of 1m 19.174s was enough for seventh place, with more than 1.5s between himself and elimination.

In fact, Lawson’s opening effort was so good, Racing Bulls didn’t use a new set of tyres for his second run. For good measure, he improved slightly to post a lap of 1m 19.161s, and advanced as the 11th fastest driver in Q1, with 1.072s up his sleeve from an early exit.

Into Q2, Lawson didn’t wait as long to return to the track, but saw his opening effort when he went too deep into turn one, and posted a time of 1m 19.413s. That saw the Kiwi ninth, and 0.839s clear of the drop, but more than half a second behind his teammate, as he prepared for his final run.

And while Lawson was able to post his best time of the weekend so far, 1m 18.765s, it wasn’t enough, as the Kiwi finished just over a tenth of a second shy of the top 10, and 0.405s adrift of Lindblad, to be the final driver knocked out in Q2.

Hungarian Grand Prix starting grid

Lando Norris – McLarenCharles Leclerc – FerrariOscar Piastri – McLarenMax Verstappen – Red BullLewis Hamilton – FerrariGeorge Russell – MercedesKimi Antonelli – MercedesIsack Hadjar – Red BullArvid Lindblad – Racing BullsNico Hulkenberg – AudiLiam Lawson – Racing BullsPierre Gasly – AlpineFranco Colapinto – AlpineGabriel Bortoleto – AudiEsteban Ocon – HaasFernando Alonso – Aston MartinOllie Bearman – HaasCarlos Sainz – WilliamsAlex Albon – WilliamsLance Stroll – Aston MartinValtteri Bottas – CadillacSergio Perez – Cadillac

Alex Powell is a sports journalist for the NZ Herald. He has been a sports journalist since 2016.