Lawson Grateful to Team After 'Pretty Poor' Singapore Weekend

Liam Lawson has expressed immense gratitude to his Racing Bulls team after a challenging Singapore Grand Prix weekend, which saw him crash twice. Despite his struggles, Lawson acknowledged the team's relentless effort in rebuilding his car, while admitting his performance was "not good enough."

Why it matters:

Lawson is currently fighting for his future in Formula 1 with the Red Bull family. A difficult weekend in Singapore, marked by two costly crashes, puts additional pressure on the young driver, especially coming off a career-best P5 finish in Baku. His performance directly impacts his chances of securing a permanent seat.

The details:

• Double Crashes: Lawson crashed in both FP2 and FP3 at the Marina Bay Street Circuit, severely limiting his track time and preparation for qualifying.
• Impact on Qualifying: He attributed his Q2 elimination (qualifying P14) to the lack of laps, stating, "I don't really know why we went slower on the new tyre, but obviously something that is probably a consequence of missing all those laps because of me crashing the car."
• Team's Efforts: The Racing Bulls mechanics had to rebuild his VCARB 02 twice, prompting Lawson's "massive thank you" to the team.
• Accepting Blame: Regarding his FP3 crash, where he hit a kerb and spun into the wall at Turn 7, Lawson conceded that making two errors in two days was "pretty poor."
• Teammate's Performance: In contrast, teammate Isack Hadjar reached Q3 and qualified P8 in the other Racing Bulls car, highlighting Lawson's struggles.

Between the lines:

Lawson's frank admission of his "pretty poor" weekend and the acknowledgment of how it "hurt" the team shows maturity, but the timing is far from ideal. With Red Bull's notoriously competitive driver development program, consistency is key. While his Baku performance was stellar, two high-profile crashes at a challenging street circuit raise questions about his ability to consistently deliver under pressure.

What's next:

Lawson remains in a tight battle for an F1 seat, competing with Yuki Tsunoda for a spot within the Red Bull family. How his Singapore performance will affect his future is uncertain, but he will need strong, consistent results in the remaining races to solidify his position. Securing points from P14 in Singapore would be a significant salvage effort, though he admitted it would be "very hard."