The Racing Bulls driver will start Sunday’s Monaco Grand Prix from 10th after progressing to Q3 around the tight street circuit, marking the second consecutive year he has qualified inside the top 10 at Monaco.
After showing encouraging pace heading into the weekend before a difficult Friday, Lawson said the team’s true potential only became clear once qualifying began.
“I think after practice mainly. I think coming into the weekend, we actually felt quite good,” Lawson said.
“Our car was really good in low speed in Canada. But then we struggled a lot yesterday.
“It’s hard here, like with traffic. Trying to put laps together. So you don’t really know your true pace until quali.
“But it was a good surprise honestly. We changed a lot this weekend. Way more than normal.
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“Would’ve been nice to get one more [position]. But yeah, P10 is good.”
Lawson’s performance came in a highly competitive session topped by championship leader Kimi Antonelli, who edged Max Verstappen to pole position by just 0.043 seconds.
While Racing Bulls teammate Arvid Lindblad was eliminated in Q2 and qualified 15th, Lawson successfully navigated the chaotic session to secure a place in the final shootout.
With overtaking traditionally difficult around Monaco, Lawson said he believed race pace and track position would be crucial, particularly with the sport’s current regulations reducing potential speed differences between cars.
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“It’s going to be hard to overtake,” he said.
“Obviously this weekend without SM (straight mode), it doesn’t really change too much, but it’s more the boost.
“The fact that we’re fully deployed all the time. So there’s going to be no real differences in speed.
“It’s going to be purely on car pace. So I think the start will be very important.”
Racing Bulls Chief Technical Officer Tim Goss praised the New Zealander’s qualifying effort, saying the team’s hard work throughout the weekend paid off when it mattered most.
“Qualifying in Monaco gave us the opportunity to finally demonstrate the pace of our car,” Goss said.
“The venue presents many challenges, both for the drivers and especially our engineers.
“The circuit demands a car setup that gives the drivers confidence, but at the same time, is responsive enough that they can fully commit to the corners.
“Without this it is impossible to deliver a quick lap.
“It hasn’t been a straightforward weekend, however. By Qualifying we had got the VCARB 03 where we wanted it.
“Liam delivered a near perfect session to put the car into Q3 and will start the race in 10th. Arvid didn’t have the cleanest of laps in Q2 and will start P15.
“We look forward to tomorrow, and if we can execute a clean race, we can be confident of finishing in the points.”
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