Liam Lawson's First F1 Podium Within Reach As Penalties Promote Him to Third for Sunday's Brazilian GP

Liam Lawson is in a strong position to secure his maiden Formula 1 podium at the Brazilian GP on Sunday at Interlagos. Lawson finds himself in this position after being promoted to P3 on the starting grid following penalties for George Russell and Charles Leclerc.

The Racing Bulls driver initially qualified fifth but will now line up on the second row, alongside Nico Hulkenberg , giving him an opportunity to fight for his first top-three finish on Sunday. It would be a significant milestone for Lawson, who is yet to secure a podium finish in his F1 career.

His P3 starting position also equals his career-best qualifying result, previously achieved at the 2025 Azerbaijan Grand Prix. His best Grand Prix result is fifth, which he has managed to score twice in Azerbaijan in 2025 and Monaco in 2026.

Meanwhile, Lando Norris secured his third consecutive pole at Interlagos after posting a 1:27.470 lap in a rain-soaked, heavily delayed qualifying session. The newly crowned world champion Kimi Antonelli will also start on the front row.

Liam Lawson Reflects on His Performance in Rain-Affected Qualifying

Despite securing a strong qualifying position, the 24-year-old driver admitted that he could have potentially challenged for an even better starting position.

After the Saturday session, when asked whether a front-row start was possible, Lawson acknowledged that it was difficult to predict, particularly with rain affecting the qualifying session. He posted the fifth-fastest lap time of 1:28.321 in wet conditions.

"I mean, as a driver, I'm going to say yes, but obviously you never know," Lawson said. "And obviously the rain was coming down. So by the time I got to the end of the lap… You never know.

"I don't know when everybody else did it. But, yeah, considering we got one lap, I think we did a good job."

Liam Lawson Optimistic About His Chances in Brazil

Despite thinking he left something on the table in terms of pace, the New Zealander was pleased with his qualifying performance and said: "It's still a good place to start. Obviously, I always take the free positions, but you always want to maximise as a driver as well."

Starting P3 puts Lawson in a strong position to challenge for his first F1 podium. However, Sunday's Brazilian GP could present several challenges, particularly given the rainy/overcast weather conditions expected at Interlagos.

Lawson, however, believes his Racing Bulls car has the pace to remain competitive regardless of the conditions.

"I think either way it's going to be a tough race here. I think it's unlikely it's going to be fully dry. But I think we have a quick car in all conditions," the 24-year-old said.

Liam Lawson, who is competing in his second full-time season with Racing Bull, is yet to secure a contract extension for next season. Therefore, a podium finish and consistently strong results in the remaining races of the season could strengthen his case for retaining his seat with the team in 2027.