Liam Lawson will start ninth on the grid for the Formula One United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, after Visa Cash App Racing Bulls executed a strategic decision to park the New Zealand driver during Q3 and save his fresh soft tyres for race day, NZ Herald reported.
How Racing Bulls Secured Ninth on the Grid in Austin
Lawson advanced through the initial qualifying stages with clean pace, securing a spot in Q3 with two new sets of soft tyres in reserve. However, because Racing Bulls teammate Arvid Lindblad faced a five-place grid penalty for exceeding his allowed internal combustion engines, the team realized both cars were locked into the ninth and tenth grid positions behind the four dominant constructor teams. Rather than burning rubber in a futile pole shootout against the top-tier cars, the team kept Lawson in the garage.
“Even if we outqualified one of the top guys, we’re not really fighting them in the race tomorrow. It just makes sense to do this,” Lawson explained, according to NZ Herald. “It’s a shame. I was ready to have a proper go at it. Fortunately, now we have plenty of tyres for tomorrow.” Stuff noted that Lawson asked to go out on track initially, but accepted the tactical reasoning once the team mapped out the tyre advantage for race day.
From Q1 Elimination Scares to Q3 Tyre Conservation
The path to the top ten demanded precise execution on the Texas circuit. In Q1, Lawson banked a 1m 35.662s lap on a single set of tyres, advancing safely without needing a second run. Q2 proved far tighter. A first run of 1m 35.280s left the Kiwi stranded down in 12th place and facing elimination before a late flyer of 1m 35.058s scraped him into the top ten by just 0.022 seconds ahead of Alpine driver Pierre Gasly, as 1News detailed.
While Lawson did not log a timed lap in Q3, Lindblad set a representative mark before his engine penalty applied. Lindblad’s five-spot drop ultimately promoted Lawson from tenth to ninth on the starting grid, cementing his status as the highest-placed driver outside Formula One’s top four constructor teams.
Getting set for Race Day 😮💨The @TAGHeuer world start times are in – where in the 🌎 will you be watching from? 👀#F1 #USGP pic.twitter.com/tMeHd8yl8u
Antonelli Leads Grid While Chasing Maiden World Championship
At the sharp end of the grid, Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli claimed pole position ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in second and Isack Hadjar in third, with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc rounding out the top four after pacing all three practice sessions. Antonelli enters the weekend chasing his maiden world championship. The 20-year-old Italian needs to extend his points lead over teammate George Russell to 125 points or more by the checkered flag to secure the title.
VelocityNews reported that Ferrari showed formidable long-run speed during Friday practice, where Leclerc topped FP1 with a 1m 36.052s and Lawson flashed encouraging speed by finishing sixth in FP2 with a 1m 36.331s lap. Lindblad will start 14th after his engine penalty is factored in, while Lawson prepares to attack from ninth when the lights go out at 9am on Monday morning (NZT).
Frequently Asked Questions About the United States Grand Prix Qualifying
Why did Liam Lawson sit out Q3 at the United States Grand Prix?
Racing Bulls opted to keep Lawson in the garage during the final qualifying session to preserve his unused sets of soft tyres for the race. Because teammate Arvid Lindblad carried a five-place grid penalty for an engine change, both Racing Bulls cars were mathematically capped behind the four leading constructor teams in ninth and tenth place, rendering a Q3 run strategically unnecessary.
What is Liam Lawson’s starting position for the race?
Lawson will start ninth on the grid. Although he did not set a lap time in Q3, teammate Arvid Lindblad’s grid penalty promoted Lawson up one spot from his initial tenth-place classification.
Who claimed pole position for the United States Grand Prix?
Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli secured pole position at the Circuit of the Americas, edging out Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who qualified second. Isack Hadjar took third and Charles Leclerc finished fourth.
What does Kimi Antonelli need to win the championship this weekend?
The 20-year-old Mercedes driver must finish the Austin weekend holding a lead of 125 points or more over second place in the drivers’ standings. A victory combined with specific results from his nearest title rivals would hand him the world championship.
