Liam Lawson says he and the Race Bulls “hit the wall” in the car setup after being knocked out in the second quarter at the Japanese Grand Prix.
Lawson showed a promising pace early in the weekend after being demoted from Red Bull’s flagship team, finishing fifth in the second practice on Friday when the Red Flag was destroyed.
However, Kiwi was unable to actively accumulate that possibility in qualifying, placing 14th in the timesheet, leaving the laps a seventh pace.
He will be 13th on Sunday after Williams’ Carlos Sainz was given a third-place grid penalty for obstructing Ferrari rival Lewis Hamilton.
Lawson managed to beat Yuki Tsunoda, the driver who replaced him in Red Bull, but he didn’t match his teammate Isaac Hajar, who qualified seventh-highest in Sunday’s race.
Kiwi was not embarrassed to admit that he was unhappy with the outcome.
“To be honest, that was a disappointing end,” Lawson told F1’s official website. “I had a competitive car yesterday and had a good Q1.
“We were trying to pursue balance through qualifications, and that reached the point of Q2 where we couldn’t tune any further.
“Unfortunately, we hit a wall and struggled with Run 2. Honestly, it felt like a good rap. That’s what we’ll review.”
Rain is forecast at Suzuki Circuit on Sunday. This will help you shake up your orders and create a midfielder.
F1 already hosted a wet weather race at the Australian Grand Prix this year, from which Lawson crashed after losing control of his Red Bull car with smooth tires.
However, the 23-year-old said that this time he would welcome the rain in Suzuka.
“It’s going to really change everything, but it gives us an opportunity to move forward if it goes well,” he said.
“We have seen (rain) be very eventful around this place in the past, and new surfaces are also quite different to driving in the rain, perhaps holding water.
“From where I started, I don’t mind if it rains a little.”