Lawson unsure which tyre will work best in Sepang race

F1 / NEWS & CONTEXTNEWS & CONTEXT

Liam Lawson said he was unsure which tyre would be best for the Sepang race, after qualifying 11th and describing tyre overheating during qualifying.

From the GPBeat newsroomPublished · 04 Oct 2026, 01:08 · 1 min

Liam Lawson said he had no clear idea which tyre would be best for Sunday’s Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, as teams faced choices over race strategy at Sepang.

The Racing Bulls driver qualified 11th, behind Gabriel Bortoleto in tenth, according to the FIA’s final qualifying classification. Lawson described being knocked out by Bortoleto as frustrating and said he had struggled with tyre overheating during the session.

Lawson also said Racing Bulls had put substantial effort into long runs. RacingNews365 reported that team-mate Arvid Lindblad completed additional long-running in FP3, and quoted Lawson saying the team would review what it had learned.

RacingNews365 described a potential three-stop race, while also noting that soft tyres could be a race option.

Sources 03

SOURCELiam Lawson puzzled over crucial Bahrain GP in Malaysia questionRacingNews365 English
PRIMARY SOURCEWhat To Watch For in the Bahrain Grand Prix in MalaysiaFormula 1
PRIMARY SOURCEDoc 42 - Final Qualifying ClassificationFIA F1 decision documents

Source context

Lawson’s reported uncertainty is a personal assessment, not an objective finding about the best strategy. The report describes a possible three-stop race and says soft tyres could also be viable. No race result or actual tyre choices are available here.