Liam Lawson said his qualifying run was spoiled when his DRS flap unexpectedly closed as he accelerated towards the finishing line.
The Racing Bulls driver missed the cut to get into Q2 by 0.125 seconds and was over half a second slower than team mate Isack Hadjar.“Q1 was alright up until that point,” Lawson told the official F1 channel afterwards. “I don’t really know what happened but I know I had a wheelspin out of the corner and then opened DRS and then it closed again basically. So it’s pretty frustrating, obviously, but it just sucks.”
However his team confirmed it was Lawson’s reaction to the wheelspin which caused his DRS to close. “In the tricky conditions, Liam picked up a little wheelspin on exit from turn 10,” the team’s chief technical officer Tim Goss explained, “resulting in a small throttle lift to keep the car under control causing DRS to automatically close which caused him to lose vital speed on the straight, and cost [him] the place in Q2.”
While Hadjar went on to reach Q2, he admitted he was too cautious on his final run, where he fell short of reaching Q3 by less than five hundredths of a second.
“I had a really tricky session,” he explained. “The first run of Q2 had to be aborted [because] the feeling was not great.
“I felt like I had a strong start to the lap on my last attempt. To be fair, I thought that would be enough and I went a bit too conservative towards the end of the lap and it’s not the right approach and it was not good enough.”
Hadjar will start Sunday’s race from 12th on the grid, five places ahead of Lawson.
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2025 Bahrain Grand Prix
- Hamilton making “drastic shift” in driving style to master Ferrari’s car
- Leclerc revealed Ferrari strategy details to Gasly before Bahrain Grand Prix
- Lawson made “very significant step forward” in Bahrain – Mekies
- Russell’s transponder was ‘frazzled and charred’ after Bahrain Grand Prix DRS drama
- “Don’t give me too much now”: Hamilton’s search for speed at Ferrari continues
Dale
13th April 2025, 0:30
He really isn’t F1 standard.
Not sure why he has so much support from Markko, but it’s nothing to do with ability or results.
Theoddkiwi (@theoddkiwi)
13th April 2025, 2:02
I dont understand the hate toward Lawson. He is young and has had one of the most disjointed starts to an F1 career i can remember. Temporarily dropped into a seat at the last minute at a track never raced on in wet conditions and was faultless and performed similar to his team mate and beat him on subsequent races. but didnt get a drive again until halfway though the next year and again performed well again beating his team mate at times. Prematurely moved up to the top team in a car that is clearly a difficult machine to drive and dropped after two races without a chance to try to rectify it which would have crushed his confidence (Name one driver who would not been affected by this change). And has now had to adapt to a different car. A small error (given the DRS deactivation from a throttle lift is a team setup limit setting that can be adjusted) that was the difference between getting out of Q3 and suddenly he is the worst F1 driver of all time. What about Hulkenburg had lap time deleted, Albon was only slight ahead but a similar distance behind his team mate as Lawson was from Hadjar, Stroll is last still. Ocon spins in to the wall where hardly no one ever crashes… But no Lawson is the worst. Why is there so much hate? Give the poor kid a chance
Dex
13th April 2025, 2:35
It’s not hatred. He got the opportunity, but arguably better talents didn’t. It’s not wishing him bad things if some of us want him out. If I’d like him to remain in F1, that would be hoping for someone else to never get his chance. I’m just stating the obvious logic, seats are very limited. He didn’t impress, but he was hyped by the media nonetheless, and some fans fell for it too. That’s what I didn’t like, but it’s not his fault. What I don’t like about him that is his fault is his arrogance, which is definitely not backed by his results. He was also willing to do whatever it takes to earn his Red Bull seat, not a plus in my sympathy book. There’s still a chance for him to prove me wrong, but I don’t it think he will. He was bad in F2 too. The thing is, he’s not one of the best 20 (well, he’s not the worst in F1 neither, sadly). Tsunoda was better, Hadjar is better… So why would he need to stay? He’s not interesting in any other way, on or off track.
I’d gladly follow his progress in endurance racing, or perhaps Indy. Who knows, maybe some other series suit him better, and he gets to impress.
Let’s see what happens. I just hope that RB didn’t break him mentally.
Gerrit
13th April 2025, 3:03
His brashness is often regarded as arrogance. Lawson back story is like a reserve goalkeeper in a premier league team. Always has to be ready but does not get game time to build experience, confidence and match fitness. Lawson has shown basic speed (latest was being faster then Hadjar this weekend in FP1 (i think) plus stepping up in the reserve job during the last two years (after sitting on the sideline for 2 years prior. His performance in the DTM was excellent as was his single seater experience in Japan and Asia. No 11 GP’s are nowhere enough (only 5 or 6 were of a consistent start basis). Time will tell. I think Red Bull know there is speed there it needs to be polished into the same level as the starter keeper on a football field. My team, Arsenal has a real problem if Raya gets injured. How will Neto perform? Has not played for over two years with the first team and could well be suffering like Lawson from match fitness.
Chris
13th April 2025, 5:25
F1 won’t break Liam, but critics on early results might. He historically is better than Tsunoda in previous series yet he didn’t get the seat 4 years ago because it’s a Honda engine. Christian Horner knows his ability, and would know far more than any of us. Go ahead replace him now after one race in racing bulls and two in the difficult to drive RB2. No its always the same the media critics need a sacrifice ( especially from a small country like NZ) for our sad viewers at the expense of someone’s future.
Norm
13th April 2025, 4:53
Borrow from Erling Haaland, ‘Stay Humble, eh’. That is how Lawson get so much hatred.
PB
13th April 2025, 5:44
I’m a Lawson fan, I’m starting to have my doubts, if he doesn’t pull his finger out soon he will be gone at the end of the season, was really hoping he was going to do well as I was looking forward to a Kiwi being in F1 for a long time but now I have major concerns, Liam please prove me wrong.
SteveP
13th April 2025, 8:06
Sympathy here. I think Red Bull management have broken him.
I suspect, like Albon, Gasly and others, the only fix is to have him move away from the toxic twins.
Norm
13th April 2025, 4:51
And Tsunoda who spent alot of time in garage instead running qualify way ahead than you. Are you sure you ever beat Tsunoda before? LOL
PB
13th April 2025, 5:45
What’s is so funny?
Elvira
13th April 2025, 10:53
Lawson’s engineers should have a chat with Doohan’s, one of them closes DRS with a small lift while the other won’t even close it on brake application.
dutchtreat (@dutchtreat)
13th April 2025, 12:15
Lawson will come good. He needs time to adjust. He has shown promise.
The press loves an underdog to criticize.
Godzilla eats Tokyo, read it here.
Coventry Climax
13th April 2025, 13:43
Lawson apparently did not understand why his DRS had closed again.
The team now says it’s his own fault, but hey did not say (or it’s not quoted here) if they themselves failed to clearly explain and discuss with their rookie, who has the wealth of some 14 sessions of experience now, on what would be the best setup for his DRS deactivation.
I’m getting the feeling someone here is deliberatly pushed down.
MurasamaRA300 (@murasamara300)
13th April 2025, 15:21
Getting that feeling too.
Something does not quite add up.
This DRS error was microscopic and the team does not quite appear to be on Lawson’s side.
Admittedly the China GP was not exactly good.
But I can’t see how Australia could really be held against him.
All in all … not surprised Sainz looked elsewhere.
lynn-m
13th April 2025, 14:46
I can’t remember who it was but i’m sure I remember at least one other occasion where somebody has done the same thing for the same reason exiting T10.
And was there not an occasion at a Spanish GP a few years ago where Max was closing DRS because he was hitting the button a fraction too early, Believing it was broken because it wasn’t open and therefore pressing it multiple times out of frustration that he felt it not working was hindering his chance of moving forward.
Randomone
14th April 2025, 13:53
Yeah what would marko know or redbull for that matter? They odviously just choose random guys for their team without and expertise whats that other dudes name vern slappin, oh no Verstapen.yeah that guy. You are odviously far more qualified to comment than the people the work with and analyse performance results and statistic maybe you should start yourbown team cant be that hard surely 😉.