Lawson says Q3 push went too far as Gasly beats him in Singapore qualifying

After a strong start to Singapore qualifying, Liam Lawson slipped to ninth as Pierre Gasly moved ahead in Q3. Lawson said he had pushed aggressively to maximise his lap, then had a big slide that overheated his rear tyres. He felt he had taken the effort a step too far.

Lawson’s Q3 setback came after a strong earlier showing: he matched his career-best finish with fifth in the Sprint, then placed fourth in Q1 and eighth in Q2. He said he felt good about pushing the car at this stage of the year.

Gasly said he thought his Q3 lap was one of his best of the year for extracting performance, and that his final attempt paid off against Racing Bulls.

Lawson estimated that a completed Q3 lap would have put him just ahead of Gasly. He said that one-place gain mattered to Racing Bulls, which went into Sunday’s Grand Prix leading Alpine 94–68 in the constructors’ battle for fifth.