Liam Lawson targets Sao Paulo podium from P3 despite feeling he left pace on the table in wet qualifying

Here's the thing about sodden asphalt and standing water: they separate the drivers who survive from the ones who truly shine. Liam Lawson handled the chaos of a heavily delayed, rain-soaked qualifying session at Interlagos to secure fifth place on the track, which was elevated to a lofty P3 starting spot for Sunday's Sao Paulo Grand Prix thanks to a flurry of grid penalties for rivals ahead.

With heavy rainfall throwing the schedule into disarray, opportunities opened up across the grid. Lawson capitalised beautifully, staying out of the barriers while George Russell, Charles Leclerc, Lewis Hamilton, and Max Verstappen all found themselves shuffled by penalties and starting positions. Yet, despite the brilliant starting slot, the Racing Bulls driver insisted he left performance on the table during his Q3 effort.

“So, you're really, like, there are places where it's probably five seconds before you get to full throttle and it's different for us.

"Obviously, we're in a good place for tomorrow, but we didn't quite maximise it," Lawson said. He explained that a botched final lap—triggered by catching Fernando Alonso on track before the rain intensified—robbed him of a proper last-ditch flyer. Still, a bit of good fortune with penalties bumped him up to the second row.

Looking ahead to race day, the Kiwi reckons his machine will be a handful for the competition if the treacherous weather persists, though he notes the team also has a quick car in the dry. "I think we have more of a chance, probably, in the wet," he added, while acknowledging the inherent risks. It is a vital weekend for Lawson away from the stopwatch too, as his unconfirmed 2027 seat at Racing Bulls continues to loom large over the paddock. When asked if an eye-catching qualifying run could help swing his future, he admitted the uncertainty has dragged on for months, leaving him to simply enjoy wrestling a beast of a machine with almost no grip in the wet.

"You know, there's a lot of horsepower in these cars, not much grip today," Lawson told F1 TV. "So, you're really, like, there are places where it's probably five seconds before you get to full throttle and it's different for us."

While one side of the garage celebrated, it was heartbreak for Lawson’s Racing Bulls team mate Arvid Lindblad. The British rookie suffered a power unit issue in Q2 that forced him to park the car, marking only the third time in the last 13 Grands Prix that he has missed out on Q3. Lindblad had been flying high in Q1, running as high as third on his penultimate lap, before the sudden mechanical gremlin ended his afternoon early. Penalties for others will elevate him to P12 on the grid, but the sudden reliability woe proved a bitter pill to swallow on a day when the sister car proved just how fast the package could go.