Liam Lawson of Visa Cash App RB walks in the paddock during qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Saudi Arabia at Jeddah Corniche Circuit. Photo: Kym Illman/Getty Images
Saudi Arabian Grand Prix
Jeddah Corniche Circuit
Starts: 5am Monday 21 April
It's go-time in the Gulf for Liam Lawson, who has qualified in his best position yet this season. He'll line up on 12th spot on the grid for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, after clocking a best time of 1m 28.229s. Notably, he reached the second of three qualifying sessions for a second time this year and has finished in a higher spot than his highly rated teammate Isack Hadjar. Lawson will be looking to improve on his disappointing finish in Bahrain last weekend.
How are things at Red Bull
Speaking of Hadjar, the chat about him being the next one to fill the seemingly cursed second Red Bull seat has cooled off a little in the last week. Despite crashing in practice, Yuki Tsunoda has qualified in eighth, which is his best starting position of the season as well. Red Bull team boss Christian Horner gave the Japanese driver a public vote of confidence, saying: "He's made a mistake, but up until that point, he's driven very well. You can see his confidence is coming, his times are starting to come".
That says a lot considering Lawson had no leeway at all and was demoted back to Racing Bulls after only two races. At the other end of the scale, Red Bull's top driver Max Verstappen is probably unbothered by all that given he has qualified in pole position.
Sparks fly behind Liam Lawson at the F1 Grand Prix of Saudi Arabia at Jeddah Corniche Circuit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Photo: Clive Mason/Getty Images
What about the Racing Bulls team
Meanwhile, Lawson's boss at Racing Bulls has been quite a bit more kind, noting that he while the Kiwi driver was obviously upset at losing his spot in the top team, he wasn't lacking confidence. Peter Bayer said that Lawson is "in a good space, he's happy, he's motivated, he's looking forward to racing."
Lawson will once again take up the anticipated duel with Hadjar, with both having Tsunoda in their sights and the mind to make a statement.
What does Lawson need to do
Liam Lawson, with members of the Racing Bulls crew, at the Bahrain Grand Prix, 14 April, 2025. Photo: AFP
Quite simply: get in the points and get some of the critics off his back for a few weeks at least. 12th on the grid is a handy spot to do that but every detail needs to be well thought out to make it happen - as we saw in Bahrain when a poor pit taking option very much doomed any chance Lawson had of a decent finish. This race will really come down to smart tyre decisions, so it will be interesting as to how Racing Bulls manage their cars.
What about the rest of the race
The ongoing battle between Vertappen and the McLaren duo of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris is the main headline for this race, with Verstappen just pipping Pisatri for pole position with a stunning final qualifying lap. It's the second time in three races Verstappen has achieved that, with his last pole position at the Japanese Grand Prix resulting in him leading the race from start to finish.
Norris crashed in qualifying and is in 10th spot, although that may change if the repairs to his car force a pit lane start at the back of the field. George Russell starts third ahead of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli, while Carlos Sainz achieved his best start for Williams in sixth, while Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton survived two elimination scares to qualify seventh.
Max Verstappen l Racing celebrates this pole position with Oscar Piastri during qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Saudi Arabia at Jeddah Corniche Circuit. Photo: Kym Illman/Getty Images
Jeddah Corniche Circuit details
First Grand Prix: 2021
Number of Laps: 50
Circuit Length: 6.174 km
Race Distance: 308.45 km
Lap Record: 1:30.734 Lewis Hamilton (2021)
Jeddah is the fastest street circuit on the F1 calendar and snakes around the city's waterfront. Average speeds get up to around 250km/h. It was designed as a fast, sweeping circuit that really challenges drivers.
The Jeddah Corniche Circuit. Photo: Meg Oliphant/Getty Images
Full starting grid
1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull), 2. Oscar Piastri (McLaren), 3. George Russell (Mercedes), 4. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), 5. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes), 6. Carlos Sainz (Williams), 7. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari), 8. Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull), 9. Pierre Gasly (Alpine), 10. Lando Norris (McLaren), 11. Alex Albon (Williams), 12. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls), 13. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin), 14. Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls), 15. Ollie Bearman (Haas), 16. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin), 17. Jack Doohan (Alpine), 18. Nico Hülkenberg (Kick Sauber), 19. Esteban Ocon (Haas), 20. Gabriel Bortoleto (Kick Sauber)
