Cette perLawson admits pushing too hard on his final lap, while Lindblad struggles with grip as both drivers target points in Singapore.
Racing Bulls continued its competitive Singapore Grand Prix weekend by placing both cars inside the top ten in Saturday’s qualifying session, although Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad admitted they had failed to maximise their performance in Q3.
Following Lawson’s impressive fifth-place finish in the Sprint, the Italian team maintained its strong form at Marina Bay, with the New Zealander qualifying ninth and teammate Lindblad securing tenth.
The double Q3 appearance underlined Racing Bulls’ competitiveness around the demanding street circuit, but both drivers were left reflecting on missed opportunities during their final qualifying attempts.
Lawson regrets costly mistake after strong Sprint result
Lawson entered qualifying with confidence after finishing fifth in the Sprint, establishing himself as the leading driver outside the front-running teams.
The New Zealander successfully progressed into Q3 but admitted that an overly aggressive approach on his final flying lap prevented him from achieving a stronger result.
« Overall, it’s been a positive day. After finishing fifth in the Sprint, it was great to see both cars in Q3, » Lawson said.
« However, finishing ninth means I’ll be starting on the more difficult side of the grid tomorrow. »
Lawson acknowledged that the result was particularly frustrating given the performance Racing Bulls had demonstrated throughout the weekend.
« It’s frustrating because we’ve been very competitive all weekend, but I pushed a little too hard on my final lap and didn’t extract the full potential from the car. »
Despite the disappointment, Lawson remains confident that Racing Bulls has the pace to challenge for points in Sunday’s Grand Prix.
« That said, we have good pace, so I’m optimistic for the race. »
The 24-year-old also welcomed the support he has received from New Zealand fans attending the Singapore event.
« It’s been great to see the support from the New Zealanders here in Singapore, so hopefully we can give the fans a good race and bring home points with both cars. »
Lindblad recovers from disappointing Sprint
Arvid Lindblad experienced a more challenging start to Saturday, finishing 13th in the Sprint before recovering to secure a place in Q3 later in the day.
The young Racing Bulls driver showed improved performance during qualifying, particularly in Q2, where he felt increasingly comfortable with the car.
« We managed to turn things around well today, especially after a disappointing result in the Sprint, » Lindblad explained.
« Qualifying was a little unusual, but I felt good in Q2 and managed to extract performance from the car. »
However, the final qualifying segment proved more difficult as Lindblad struggled to maintain grip and put together a complete lap.
« Once we got into Q3, I struggled with grip and found it difficult to put everything together on my final lap. »
The British driver believes further analysis will be required to understand the sudden change in handling.
« We’ll need to look at the data and understand why that happened. »
Nevertheless, Lindblad was satisfied with securing a top-ten starting position after his earlier Sprint disappointment.
« That said, I’m happy to be in the top ten and in a good position heading into tomorrow’s race. »
Racing Bulls target a double points finish
With Lawson starting ninth and Lindblad tenth, Racing Bulls heads into Sunday’s Singapore Grand Prix with both drivers positioned to fight for championship points.
The team’s strong qualifying performance follows an encouraging Sprint result and reinforces its competitiveness at Marina Bay.
Although neither driver believes they extracted the maximum from their final qualifying laps, Racing Bulls will aim to convert its promising weekend pace into a double points finish on Sunday.sonnalité vous plaît-elle ?
