Liam Lawson believes that RB was a shoo-in for the ultimate stage of Mexican Grand Prix qualifying, had team-mate Yuki Tsunoda not crashed on the shut of Q2 in Method 1 qualifying.
Lawson and Tsunoda had been sat on the cusp of progressing into the top-10 shootout, and the Japanese driver had seemed notably aggressive all through all three follow periods – inserting third in each Friday outings and seventh in FP3.
Tsunoda then overcooked it on the brakes at Flip 12 throughout his remaining lap of Q2; though his crash into the barrier coming into the Foro Sol stadium was considerably sedate, it nonetheless introduced out the crimson flag.
This froze the Q2 order with each RBs simply exterior it, having each been on higher laps and had been trying to surpass the benchmark 1m17.048s set by Pierre Gasly in tenth.
“It is a disgrace clearly. We had a quick automobile all weekend,” Lawson mentioned. “Clearly, Yuki’s been extraordinarily robust in follow. We have been build up and I believe we had been proper there in quali.
“I believe the staff’s labored extraordinarily arduous and given us a very quick automobile this weekend. So that they need to have two vehicles, if not one, in Q3.
“I used to be significantly up. So actually, even simply with a traditional sector two and three, it ought to have been sufficient. However yeah, that is how it’s typically.
“Sadly that is the danger typically while you run in the direction of the again [of the pack] and if there’s a flag that is what occurs. We did all the correct issues, we constructed up and by quali we had been actually on the restrict. I really feel assured we’d have been capable of undergo.”
Liam Lawson, RB F1 Group VCARB 01
Photograph by: Dom Romney / Motorsport Pictures
Lawson nonetheless praised the path that had been cleared by Tsunoda over the weekend with set-up, stating that his facet of the storage had been utilizing his information to assist the Kiwi get his head across the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.
He added that RB was going to should dig deep to beat Haas within the race, on condition that the 2 groups are separated by simply two factors of their battle for sixth within the constructors’ championship.
“It has been good; it is good to have a quick team-mate and have the ability to use his information and that is what we have been doing all weekend actually.
“It has been helpful, I believe clearly having further time this weekend has helped for certain. So yeah, only a disgrace we did not get to complete the lap.
“I really feel for [the team] as a result of they’ve labored actually arduous and this can be a weekend the place you do not usually have two vehicles which can be very fast and able to Q3.
“Haas have now utterly capitalised on that and put each their vehicles in Q3 and due to what’s occurred we’re now each out.
“We’re near the factors clearly we see the place they’ve certified. However we’re shut and the long term appears good, so hopefully we are able to transfer ahead.”
