Lawson Crashes Again in Singapore FP3, Racing Bulls Face Hectic Qualifying Prep

Liam Lawson's Singapore Grand Prix weekend took another challenging turn as he crashed out of FP3, triggering a red flag and putting immense pressure on the Racing Bulls team to repair his car before qualifying. This marks his second significant incident of the weekend, raising concerns about his track limits and the team's ability to recover in time.

Why it matters:

Lawson's repeated incidents are costly, both in terms of car damage and lost track time, which is critical for a rookie driver adapting to a challenging street circuit like Singapore. For Racing Bulls, it's a race against the clock to get the car ready, and any delays could severely impact Lawson's qualifying performance and, by extension, his race.

The details:

• FP3 Incident: Lawson hit the barriers at Turn 7 after riding the kerb on the exit. The crash resulted in significant damage to the front wing and suspension.
• Previous Incident: A similar crash occurred in FP2 on Friday, where he caught the kerb at Turn 16 and crashed at Turn 17, tearing off the front-right tire and damaging the car's right side.
• Driver Reaction: Lawson quickly confirmed he was unharmed, telling his team, "I'm so sorry. I don't even know what happened. I just got the kerb.”
• Team Challenge: The Racing Bulls now have just over three hours to repair the heavily damaged car ahead of qualifying. This is the second time they've had to repair the right-hand side of his car this weekend.
• Expert Insight: Sky Sports F1 analyst Anthony Davidson highlighted the need to lift off the throttle when hitting the kerbs, as "you just don't know which tyre will pick up the grip."
• Lawson's Perspective: After the FP2 crash, Lawson acknowledged, "I got a little bit too much kerb in [Turn] 16 and bounced me across to the left, and then I took too much kerb in 17, and then just tried to carry the speed, and right at the last minute, lost it and hit the wall." He noted the car felt fast before the incident.

What's next:

The immediate focus for Racing Bulls is a frantic repair job to ensure Lawson has a car for qualifying. The recurring nature of these kerb-induced crashes suggests Lawson may need to adjust his approach to these aggressive track limits on street circuits. While his short-run pace has shown promise, turning that into a clean, competitive qualifying session will be the ultimate test for both driver and team in the intense Singapore environment.