Liam Lawson matches best F1 start with third on Sao Paulo Grand Prix grid
NXTbets Pro | Published On: November 7, 2026
Lawson’s third-place grid
Liam Lawson left Interlagos frustrated, but the Racing Bulls driver still matched his best Formula 1 start after rain-hit qualifying for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix. He qualified fifth, then moved up to third on the grid after penalties for George Russell and Charles Leclerc. That gave Lawson the kind of starting spot that can change a race weekend, and it came after a session that forced him to fight the weather as much as the clock. Q1 was delayed 84 minutes by heavy rain, and the track stayed tricky enough to make every lap a moving target. Lawson said he did not quite maximize his Q3 effort, and his final attempt disappeared when he caught Fernando Alonso and saw the rain intensify. He missed the chance to put in one more lap, and that left him with the feeling that more was still there. Even so, the result put him into a strong position for Sunday, with a third-place grid slot that matched his best Formula 1 starting position.
Lawson’s wet Q3
Lawson said the car had more speed to give and that Racing Bulls could still pull more out of the package. He described the car as competitive in both wet and dry conditions, a useful sign at a circuit where the weather can reshape the running in a hurry. The session asked for patience and timing, and Lawson said the final lap disappeared at the wrong moment. That left him frustrated, but the overall result still pointed to a team that was close to the front when the grip levels changed and the margins tightened. Lawson also said Racing Bulls may have an advantage if Sunday’s race is wet, a scenario that would reward the same feel and confidence that mattered during qualifying. He believed he could fight for strong points, which keeps the focus on the race rather than the lap that got away. The bigger picture from his side of the garage was mixed but encouraging. A poor final run did not wipe out the pace he saw in the car, and the grid penalty shuffle turned a fifth-place qualifying effort into a third-place starting position. That kind of move matters at Interlagos, where track position can matter as much as outright speed once the race settles in.
Lindblad’s Q2 problem
Arvid Lindblad also had a session shaped by the conditions and the setbacks around him. His Q2 ended early because of a power unit problem, and that cut short any chance to build on the work he had already done. He qualified 14th, then will start 12th after grid penalties are applied, which gives him a small gain before the race even begins. Lindblad had already made progress through practice after his own setup changes, moving from 14th in FP1 to 12th in FP2. That step forward showed that he found more from the car as the day developed, even though the wider weekend remained difficult to read because of the rain and the interrupted schedule. Interlagos gave the drivers a fast-changing test from the start, with the delayed first session setting the tone and qualifying forcing everyone to adjust on the fly. For Lindblad, the final result still left room for optimism, because the pace improved once the setup was adjusted and the penalties improved his grid slot. For Lawson, the story was more immediate, with a chance to match his best-ever Formula 1 start and a clear belief that more points were possible if the race turns wet again.
