Lawson Starts Ninth for US Grand Prix

Liam Lawson secured ninth on the starting grid for the United States Grand Prix in Austin, sitting out the final qualifying session to save tyres after his Racing Bulls teammate Arvid Lindblad absorbed a grid penalty.

Racing Bulls Strategy Yields Tyre Bank for Austin Grid

Qualifying at the Circuit of the Americas delivered an unconventional tactical play on Saturday. Racing Bulls kept Liam Lawson parked in the garage during the final top-10 shootout. The team chose to preserve sets of fresh rubber for the race rather than chase an outright lap time in Q3. A five-place grid drop handed to rookie teammate Arvid Lindblad for exceeding his permitted allocation of internal combustion engines for the season drove the decision.

The VCARB 03 paced the midfield behind the sport’s four dominant teams. Both cars had comfortably advanced to Q3. Because the cars occupying the top eight positions belonged exclusively to the leading squads, Lawson and Lindblad were destined to finish the final session in ninth and tenth. By benching Lawson, the team ensured Lindblad secured the higher qualifying position before his penalty dropped him down the order, promoting Lawson to ninth on the starting grid.

For Kimi Antonelli to win the Drivers' Title today… 👀Kimi ➡️ P1Lewis ➡️ P5 or belowGeorge ➡️ P9 or below#F1 #USGP pic.twitter.com/CPhgIVGnEu

— https://x.com/F1/status/2114395813627699389

I would have loved to have a go at Q3. We actually got there with two sets as well, which is not normal for us. In a normal situation, if we’re fighting an Alpine or an Audi, having those two sets would have been great to use. I would have loved to have a go at it, but considering Arvid’s got a penalty, we were going to be ninth and 10th anyway, it just doesn’t really make sense. Now we have plenty of tyres for tomorrow.

Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls driver

Lawson admitted to initial frustration when told to stay in the pits.

He had extracted strong pace from the car across the weekend. The New Zealander cleared the opening knockout session easily. He advanced on his initial flying lap of 1m 35.662s without needing a second run. Q2 proved more demanding as track evolution pushed him toward the elimination zone. A final effort of 1m 35.058s cleared Alpine rival Pierre Gasly by just 0.022 seconds.

Kimi. Max. 👀The Front Row in Austin is set 😮‍💨#F1 #USGP pic.twitter.com/rzPh3nEBVs

— https://x.com/F1/status/2114359575302267108

Lindblad Penalty and the Midfield Battle at Circuit of the Americas

The penalty facing Lindblad stems from engine supply limits during the current regulations. Despite trailing his teammate across earlier practice sessions, the rookie rebounded when it mattered most to outqualify him in Q2 before his teammate’s engine sanction took effect.

For sure, I would have loved to have another go, he said. He noted that even with a second run, the pace advantage held by front-running constructors meant both drivers would have finished in the same relative positions.

Lawson Starts Ninth for US Grand Prix — Photo: Formula 1

Starting ninth places Lawson immediately ahead of Gasly’s Alpine. Friday practice sessions had already signaled strong potential for the Racing Bulls upgrade package—featuring revisions to the front and rear wings, floor, and engine cover. That package carried Lawson to sixth place in FP2.

Antonelli Polesitox and Championship Implications in Texas

At the front of the grid, Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli captured pole position, positioning the 20-year-old Italian to potentially secure his maiden world championship. Antonelli enters the race needing a victory paired with specific finishes from title rivals to seal the crown, putting him on track to become the youngest champion since Sebastian Vettel in 2010.

P1 for Kimi and P7 for George for tomorrow's Austin GP 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/J8syqR76qT

— https://x.com/MercedesAMGF1/status/2114119750435397847

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen qualified second alongside Antonelli. Teammate Isack Hadjar equalled his career-best grid position in third. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc managed fourth after pacing all three practice sessions.

With the grand prix scheduled for Monday morning at 9am NZT, Lawson aims to capitalize on his banked tyres and a circuit renowned for offering overtaking opportunities.