The New Zealander posted a best time of 1m29.499s in Q2 but fell just over four tenths short of breaking into the top 10, leaving him to start Sunday’s race from the sixth row alongside Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg.
Lawson had progressed comfortably through Q1 but felt there was little more on the table in the final segment, especially after a small mistake on his final push lap.
“I think honestly that’s pretty much everything we had,” he said.
“We had an issue yesterday which put us out in Q1 [in sprint qualifying], but even if we had got through I think this is about where we would’ve been.
“So we made a small improvement but I guess everybody else did. I think it’s a bit too much of a step to catch the guys in the top 10.”
He added that a small error ultimately cost him a chance at Q3, but suggested even a cleaner lap may not have changed the overall outcome.
“I made a small mistake in the chicane. I think P11 was maybe there.”
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Lawson’s sprint earlier in the day offered limited encouragement, finishing 15th after a power issue disrupted the opening stages of his race before settling into a more competitive rhythm once resolved.
“The first probably six or seven laps we had an issue with power, so I kept getting overtaken and I would lose a place every lap,” he said after the sprint.
“Once we fixed it, it wasn’t actually too bad, but we definitely still have work to do to get towards the guys in the top 10.”
The Racing Bulls driver also acknowledged Alpine’s step forward this weekend, with Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto both consistently inside the top 10 across qualifying sessions.
“The gap to the Alpines is too much; they’ve made a big step this weekend,” he admitted.
So, yeah, obviously a little bit of work to do, but I think we maximised what we have today.”
That sentiment was echoed after qualifying, with Lawson suggesting the midfield fight remains tightly packed but increasingly difficult to break into from just outside the top 10.
“I think they were a bit quicker than us, but we had good race pace this morning,” he said when assessing Sunday’s prospects.
“Obviously, if everybody finishes and everything stays normal it’s going to be quite tough.
“But you never know.”
The Miami Grand Prix starts at 4pm local time (6am AEST).
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