Liam Lawson Eyes Racing Bulls' True Pace After Strong Baku Practice

Liam Lawson is optimistic about uncovering the true qualifying potential of his Racing Bulls car following a promising performance during Friday practice sessions in Azerbaijan. After a "soul-destroying" error at Monza that relegated him to last on the grid, Lawson is determined to capitalize on the car's recent development into a consistent Q3 and points contender.

Why it matters:

Lawson's quest to consistently extract peak performance from the Racing Bulls car is crucial for both his personal career trajectory and the team's ambitions. A strong qualifying showing in Baku could validate the team's progress and solidify its position as a regular challenger for points and Q3 berths, particularly after his previous setback at Monza.

The details:

• Lawson has demonstrated impressive qualifying form this season, reaching Q3 in four of the last six races, including a career-best sixth-place start in Austria.
• During the two practice sessions in Baku, he consistently showed strong pace, finishing ninth in FP1 and seventh in FP2.
• In the second practice session, Lawson was remarkably close to the front-runners, trailing Max Verstappen by a mere 0.087 seconds.
• Reflecting on his performance, Lawson expressed confidence, stating there was "no reason" why the team couldn't translate their practice pace into a strong qualifying result.
• He noted the track conditions in Baku were better than he remembered from his Formula 2 days, providing more grip and allowing for faster lap times even in practice.

What's next:

Lawson and Racing Bulls are setting their sights firmly on Q3 for Saturday's qualifying session. Despite a challenging weekend at Monza, Lawson believes that was not a true reflection of the car's speed.

• "It was not really a true representation of the pace, and we just had a tough weekend, but had it gone well, we should have been in the top 10," Lawson explained, emphasizing the car's recent consistency.
• The competitive field in Baku means that optimizing every detail will be critical for securing a strong grid position, as the margins between teams are incredibly tight.
• If Lawson can maintain his Friday form and Racing Bulls can unlock their full qualifying potential, they could be in for a very successful weekend.