Liam Lawson qualifies 11th for Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia
Saturday 3 October 2026 · 4 outlets · 4 reports · updated In this story Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls, Max Verstappen, Arvid Lindblad
New Zealander Liam Lawson missed the final qualifying session at Sepang by just over 0.2 seconds. Racing Bulls driver Lawson finished 11th, narrowly behind Gabriel Bortoleto. Max Verstappen secured pole position for the race held in Malaysia.
Key facts
5 facts
- Max Verstappen took pole position at Sepang with a time of 1m 35.130s.
- Liam Lawson qualified 11th with a best time of 1m 37.023s.
- Isack Hadjar will start 8th due to a five-place grid penalty.
- The event is the Bahrain Grand Prix held at the Sepang circuit.
- Kimi Antonelli is the current championship leader.
The full story
1 min read · 4 outlets
Max Verstappen has secured his first pole position of the season at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia. The Red Bull driver set a time of 1m 35.130s, beating Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton by 0.298 seconds. This marks the first time this season a non-Mercedes powered car has qualified first.
Liam Lawson qualified 11th, missing the final qualifying session (Q3) by 0.209 seconds. The Kiwi driver was outpaced by Audi's Gabriel Bortoleto, who secured the final spot in Q3. Lawson noted that while the car was competitive in practice, he struggled with tyre overheating during the session.
Red Bull's Isack Hadjar qualified third but will start eighth due to a five-place grid penalty for exceeding his engine allocation. This penalty allows championship leader Kimi Antonelli to move up to third on the grid.
Racing Bulls' Arvid Lindblad provided a tow to Lawson on his final lap of Q2 to help his time. However, Lindblad will start at the back of the grid after receiving a penalty for making power unit adjustments.
How it developed
- Sun 4 Oct, 9:08amLawson noted that the race could be wide open due to overtaking opportunities at the Sepang circuit.
Where reports differ
- Reports differ on the size of Lindblad's penalty, with one citing a 30-place grid penalty and others citing a penalty for changing his engine.
Compiled from reports by NZ Herald, RNZ, Stuff and 1News.
