Lawson in Q3 for first time: 'There’s more potential to be higher up'

In only his third race, Liam Lawson managed to reach Q3 already. The young New Zealander beat his teammate Yuki Tsunoda and is looking forward to the race. Despite some problems, the AlphaTauri driver is happy with his qualifying result and also indicates that he believes there is still more to be got out of the car.

First time in Q3 for Lawson

Lawson replaced Daniel Ricciardo from the Grand Prix at Zandvoort. The Australian broke his hand and the Red Bull junior took his place. Lawson also got to step in at Monza and Singapore and in qualifying for the Grand Prix at Marina Bay, the New Zealander managed to reach Q3 for the first time in his career. "It’s obviously exciting being in Q3, but we didn’t maximise the performance, and it’s something we have to look at," Lawson said.

"I’m happy to make it into Q3 but there’s more potential to be higher up. It’s a shame, but I’m still learning and there’s more to come," the AlphaTauri driver continued. "Today went well, but tomorrow is the important one. I’m starting in a good position in P10, but two hours is a long race and will be challenging. We’ll focus on maximising our car and driving our race."

Tsunoda stranded in Q2 in Singapore

Tsunoda had a disappointing qualifying session. After first being held up by Max Verstappen, he was eventually stranded in Q2. The Japanese man baulks at his performance: "I made a mistake, a lock-up into Turn 14. I’m sorry for my team, it’s a real shame, and I’m very frustrated because the car pace is incredible. We see how tomorrow goes and I’ll try my best to score points."