Formula 1: Liam Lawson claims another top 10 start, qualifies ninth for Austrian Grand Prix

“I’m sure it’s going to be a tough race, but we’ve been focussed on trying to improve that, and hopefully we can try and show that tomorrow.”

Last year saw Lawson start the Austrian Grand Prix in sixth, where he finished despite a first lap incident.

Mercedes’ George Russell controversially took pole position after posting 1m 06.113s, despite suggestions he breached double yellow flags to end his fastest lap, when Red Bull’s Max Verstappen put his car in the wall after coming off at turn nine.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was in line to start first if Russell was stripped, only for race stewards to rule in favour of Mercedes. Leclerc’s Ferrari teammate Lewis Hamilton will start third.

World championship leader Kimi Antonelli is fourth, after his final lap time was deleted thanks to Verstappen’s crash.

Lawson sits 10th in the drivers championship after the opening seven grands prix of the season.

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

In sweltering heat, the first two days of the race weekend have seen multiple drivers complain of overheating brakes, as a teaser for a chaotic race on Monday morning.

Taking to a track with surface temperatures over 53 degrees in Q1, Lawson’s opening effort of 1m 08.104s saw him inside the top 10. And even if he fell to 11th by the time all 22 drivers had posted a lap, Lawson was more than one second clear of the drop zone.

As Lawson emerged from Racing Bulls’ garage for his second effort, that gap had shrunk to 0.633s, with less than four minutes in the session. But as a statement heading into the second session, Lawson improved to 1m 07.385s to finish Q1 in fourth, and safe by 0.867s.

Hunting a top 10 start in Austria for the second straight year, Lawson’s first lap in Q2, 1m 07.622s, was slower than his second Q1 effort, but was posted on a used set of tyres. Sitting ninth after the first runs, Lawson’s mark had him 0.360s clear of elimination.

With less than two minutes in Q2, Lawson had fallen to 10th, but improved to 1m 07.136s, to earn his place in the top 10 with 0.087s to spare.

As he’d done previously, Lawson’s first effort of Q3, 1m 07.542s, was set on used tyres, and slower than the mark he’d reached the final session with, before putting in his best time of the weekend.

Austrian Grand Prix qualifying results

George Russell – MercedesCharles Leclerc – FerrariLewis Hamilton – FerrariKimi Antonelli – MercedesMax Verstappen – Red BullLando Norris – McLarenOscar Piastri – McLarenIsack Hadjar – Red BullLiam Lawson – Racing BullsArvid Lindblad – Racing BullsPierre Gasly – AlpineGabriel Bortoleto – AudiOllie Bearman – HaasNico Hulkenberg – AudiEsteban Ocon – HaasFranco Colapinto – AlpineCarlos Sainz – WilliamsAlex Albon – WilliamsSergio Perez – CadillacValtteri Bottas – CadillacFernando Alonso – Aston MartinLance Stroll – Aston Martin

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