Lawson Acknowledges Racing Bulls' Current Limits After Miami Qualifying

Liam Lawson qualified 12th for the Miami Grand Prix, acknowledging that the Racing Bulls VCARB-02 package currently lacks the outright pace to challenge for Q3. The New Zealander felt the team maximized its potential, despite a small error on his final lap, and highlighted Alpine's significant step forward as a new benchmark in the tight midfield battle.

Why it matters:

For a team like Racing Bulls, consistently breaking into Q3 and scoring points is the primary objective. Lawson's frank assessment underscores the current performance ceiling of their car package and the intense competition in the midfield, where even small upgrades from rivals can reshuffle the order. It sets realistic expectations for the team's immediate race prospects while emphasizing the development work required to close the gap.

The details:

• Lawson set a best time of 1m29.499s in Q2, finishing just over four-tenths of a second shy of the top-ten cut-off, and will start the Grand Prix from 12th on the grid.
• He stated the result was "pretty much everything we had," noting that a small mistake in the chicane on his final lap may have cost him a chance at 11th place, but likely not a Q3 berth.
• The team's Saturday was challenging, with a power unit issue in the Sprint race costing Lawson several positions in the early laps before he recovered to finish 15th.
• Lawson pointed to Alpine's performance as a key differentiator, with both Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto consistently in the top ten. "The gap to the Alpines is too much; they’ve made a big step this weekend," he admitted.

What's next:

The focus shifts to the Grand Prix, where Lawson hopes the car's race pace—which he felt was "good" in the Sprint—can offer an opportunity. Overtaking on the Miami International Autodrome circuit is difficult, making a points finish a challenge from 12th on the grid without incidents or strategic advantages ahead. The result reinforces the team's need for upgrades to compete with the strengthened midfield front-runners like Alpine.