The Racing Bulls team faced some challenges during the Sprint qualifying session of the United States Formula 1 Grand Prix, with Isack Hadjar and Liam Lawson having below-expected performances, but they are aware of the car’s competitiveness.
Hadjar, who started the day with high expectations after the TL1 session, managed to advance to the SQ2 session, but struggled during the final session: “I had a good feeling at the end of the TL1 session, but the feeling during the Sprint qualifying was completely different,” said Hadjar, who finished in 12th place. “The car was very difficult to drive, it was quite challenging. I believe we are still fast, and tomorrow is about maximizing everything and putting the pieces together for the GP qualifying session. Starting from 12th place will make it harder to score points, but we will fight and try to reach Q3,” he added.
Lawson, on the other hand, had a session marked by a lack of rhythm due to traffic. As a result, the New Zealand driver finished in 15th place: “We were affected by traffic during our fast laps, so we will analyze if we should have gone out on the track earlier, which might have reduced the problem,” said Lawson. Despite the result, he remained optimistic: “The speed of the car is very good. Scoring points will be difficult, but we will continue working to build a strong car for Sunday,” he added.
The team’s head of racing engineering, Mattia Spini, also commented on the challenges of the Sprint weekend format: “There is always a unique challenge in a Sprint weekend, with only one free practice session to adjust the car,” highlighted Spini. He explained that the team opted to use the medium tires for the second attempt at a fast lap instead of the soft tires, aiming for better performance for the rest of the weekend. Despite the efforts to adjust the car’s balance, the Racing Bulls team was unable to reach the SQ3 session. Additionally, Lawson’s fastest lap was deleted due to track limits. “Now, we will focus on extracting as much learning as possible from today’s sessions and adjusting the car before the GP qualifying session,” concluded Spini.
Despite the difficulties, the team remains focused on improving for the rest of the weekend. The goal is to maximize the car’s performance and achieve a stronger result in Sunday’s GP.
