Liam Lawson has his best qualifying of the season at Formula 1’s Austrian Grand Prix
Sunday, 29 June 2025
Liam Lawson will start from sixth on the grid at the Austrian Grand Prix – one place ahead of his former Red Bull team-mate Max Verstappen.
The Kiwi Racing Bulls driver had his best qualifying result of 2025 on Saturday (Sunday NZ time) at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg and will be eyeing more success come race time (1am Monday NZ time).
Lando Norris took pole for McLaren ahead of Charles Leclerc of Ferrari and team-mate Oscar Piastri, who had to abandon his final run in the third phase of qualifying when Alpine driver Pierre Gasly spun ahead of him.
Gasly’s spin also denied Verstappen the chance to improve his time, leaving the reigning world champion in the awkward situation of being stuck in seventh behind Lawson, who now drives for Red Bull’s junior team, after being dumped from the energy drink company’s flagship team two races into the season.
Lawson’s best qualifying result remains the fifth place he secured in wet conditions at last year’s Singapore Grand Prix – a race where he eventually finished ninth.
His team-mate Isack Hadjar will start 13th in Austria, with Yuki Tsunoda, the other Red Bull driver, starting 18th.
It is just the second time Lawson has out-qualified his team-mate this year, with the previous instance coming back in Saudi Arabia in April – in the fifth grand prix of the season.
“It's really cool to have a good quali,” Lawson said afterwards. “Everything's felt really good, I've felt really good.
“We've done a lot of work on the car and on my side as well, just to make it more comfortable for me and it's been there – it just hasn't shown.
“It's nice to show it today, but obviously tomorrow is obviously the important day.”
Lawson will now be hoping to score points for just the second time this season, after picking up four when he finished eighth at the Monaco Grand Prix in May.
That was the only other race weekend this year where he qualified inside the top 10, starting ninth and gaining one place come race day for the best finish of his fledgling Formula 1 career.
“I hope so,” was Lawson’s response when asked if he thought he could win points in Austria, “but at the moment the (tyre degradation) is decent and long runs were tricky.
“It’s always different in a race when you’re in traffic and I’m sure there is going to be a mix of strategies.”
Lawson was the third-fastest driver in the first phase of qualifying, where the five slowest drivers were eliminated.
He was then the ninth-fastest as the top 10 advanced from the second phase to the third and final phase.
Norris’ pole ended a run of five pole positions in a row for Verstappen at Red Bull’s home circuit.
He will be the first driver to start from front of the grid at the Red Bull Ring other than the Dutchman since Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas did so for Mercedes in 2020, when two grands prix were held there during a season impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Austrian Grand Prix – starting grid
1: Lando Norris; 2: Charles Leclerc; 3: Oscar Piastri; 4: Lewis Hamilton; 5: George Russell; 6: Liam Lawson; 7: Max Verstappen; 8: Gabriel Bortoleto; 9: Kimi Antonelli; 10: Pierra Gasly; 11: Fernando Alonso; 12: Alex Albon; 13: Isack Hadjar; 14: Franco Colapinto; 15: Oli Bearman; 16: Lance Stroll; 17: Esteban Ocon; 18: Yuki Tsunoda; 19: Carlos Sainz; 20: Nico Hülkenberg