Liam Lawson details his qualifying progress through 2025 F1 season

Liam Lawson has highlighted the significant progress he made in qualifying throughout the 2025 Formula 1 season, turning an early weakness into a strength for Racing Bulls. The New Zealander, who initially struggled to extract peak one-lap performance, secured the team's best grid slot of the year with a stunning third place in Azerbaijan, a result that underscored his personal development.

Why it matters:

In a season where the midfield battle was historically tight, a single qualifying position could dictate an entire weekend's potential. Lawson's journey from struggling to master the car over one lap to becoming a consistent Q3 threat is a testament to the critical importance of qualifying performance in modern F1, where track position is paramount.

The details:

• Lawson openly described qualifying as "definitely been more of a struggle for me" at the start of the year, despite acknowledging the inherent speed of the Racing Bulls car.
• The primary focus from his side became extracting that final tenth of a second from both himself and the car for a single flying lap.
• He noted that the process "got a lot better through the year," culminating in the standout Baku performance.
• His season record was a mixed bag, ending with a 6-16 qualifying defeat to teammate Isack Hadjar, but also featuring highs that proved the car's and his own potential.

The big picture:

Lawson's reflections underscore a universal 2025 challenge: the extreme compression of the field made weekend execution more critical than ever. A poor Saturday often spelled disaster for Sunday, as he explained: "when things don't go smoothly, you can lose quite a lot." His progress story is less about raw speed—which he always possessed—and more about the meticulous, repeatable process of piecing together the perfect qualifying lap under pressure, which became the defining skill for midfield drivers.

What's next:

For Lawson, solidifying this qualifying prowess will be key for 2026. The experience gained in mastering a tricky car over one lap is invaluable. If he can carry this refined approach into the next season and pair it with his known race craft, he will position himself as a formidable and complete driver in the Racing Bulls lineup, capable of consistently converting car performance into strong starting positions.