Verstappen beaten as Red Bull star suffers shock early exist……. read more
In a surprising turn of events during qualifying, Max Verstappen was outpaced, and Red Bull’s Liam Lawson suffered a shocking early exit. Lawson, who was making his debut as a senior Red Bull driver, struggled throughout the weekend and failed to impress during his first qualifying session. His performance had already been underwhelming, with Lawson posting the 16th and 17th fastest times in the opening two practice sessions, FP1 and FP2. Adding to his woes, the Kiwi driver was sidelined for most of FP3 due to a power unit issue, limiting his preparation time. On track, Lawson was also battling a twitchy Red Bull, driving inconsistently, which ultimately contributed to his poor qualifying performance.
Verstappen, usually the star of Red Bull, found himself upstaged by Lando Norris and George Russell. Both British drivers posted faster times, leaving Verstappen behind them. This was a rare sight, considering the Dutch driver’s usual dominance on track. Verstappen’s performance wasn’t expected to be overshadowed, but in this instance, he couldn’t match the pace of his competitors, which left many fans and pundits surprised.
The second qualifying session, Q2, saw the emergence of rookies who weren’t able to make it through to the final qualifying round. Three rookie drivers, including Lawson, were knocked out alongside the two Aston Martins. Lewis Hamilton also experienced a frustrating end to his flying lap, as he spun out, which not only cost him valuable time but also interfered with the runs of several rivals in the process. It was a tough day for many drivers, as various factors and mistakes disrupted their performances.
Ollie Bearman’s weekend proved to be particularly challenging. After crashing in FP1 and being forced out of running in FP2 due to the resulting damage, Bearman’s misfortunes continued into FP3. During this session, Bearman spun on his first flying lap, and his gearbox issues meant he had to radio his team to report the problem before he could even complete an outlap. He was then forced to pit, marking the end of his running for the day. It was a frustrating and difficult start to the weekend for the young driver.
As the qualifying session unfolded, it was clear that the usual order was being shaken up, with rookies and unexpected errors from key drivers creating a chaotic but exciting atmosphere. The performances of drivers like Norris and Russell were impressive, while some more seasoned drivers, like Hamilton and Verstappen, experienced setbacks. For Lawson and Bearman, it was a weekend to forget as both faced struggles that kept them out of the action early on. The qualifying results were a reminder that Formula 1 is never predictable, with surprises often coming from the least expected places.
