How Lawson helped Racing Bulls team mate Lindblad by sacrificing his Q3 run

Grid penalties can often lead to different strategies in Formula 1 Qualifying. Typically if they are destined to start at the back the drivers concerned only make a token effort in Q1, and either don’t appear later in the session, or perhaps switch to helping their team mate with a tow – as was the case with Gabriel Bortoleto and his Audi partner Nico Hulkenberg in Austin.

Teams also always have to avoid tricky situations where, for example, a penalised driver bumps his unpenalised team mate down the order so that he doesn’t progress to the next session.

Saturday’s United States Grand Prix Qualifying saw an unusual take on the theme. A driver who had made the top 10 in Q2 and didn’t have a grid penalty was kept in the garage during Q3 in order to help his team mate – who did have a penalty.

This was the story that unfolded at Racing Bulls after Arvid Lindblad came into the weekend with a five-place drop for taking a new ICE.

The VCARB 03 had enough pace to head the midfield pack, and thus Lindblad and his team mate Liam Lawson were both able to make it to Q3.

Given that the cars ahead of them were the eight from the four top teams, and there were no Audis or Alpines in the mix, they were always destined to finish the final session in P9 and P10.

And in order to ensure that Lindblad got the higher position, which would convert to P14 on the final grid, the decision was made to not allow Lawson to run in Q3 – something that naturally went against his racer’s instincts.

He was thus classified P10 with no time achieved, but he will start a place ahead after Lindblad drops down the order.

"I would have loved to have a go at Q3,” said the New Zealander. “We actually got there with two sets as well, which is not normal for us. In a normal situation, if we're fighting an Alpine or an Audi, having those two sets would have been great to use.

“I would have loved to have a go at it, but considering Arvid's got a penalty, we were going to be ninth and 10th anyway, it just doesn't really make sense. Now we have plenty of tyres for tomorrow.”

Lawson admitted that it wasn’t easy to climb out of the cockpit and watch his team mate head out of the garage. “I asked to go out, to be honest," he added. "I said I want to go and do it, and they said no. So yeah, it's frustrating a little bit for a driver, especially because we've had a very strong weekend so far.

“The car's been very good. Q1 on one set, we were comfortably through. Q2 was a little bit more tricky to be honest. But going to Q3 with two sets of tyres would have would have been lots of fun.”

Crucially, given the battle for P5 in the Constructors' Championship, Lawson starts immediately ahead of Alpine’s Pierre Gasly.

“To be fair, it was very, very close with Pierre in Q2,” he said. “But obviously we're one set less at that point. We were ready to go if we needed to in Q3 there. The car's been good in the long run as well. So hopefully tomorrow we can have a good race.”

Lindblad meanwhile was pleased with how the session turned out, although he too was compromised in that he only did one run in Q3 when he had the tyres available for a second.

“I think it makes sense what we did,” he said. “For sure, I would have loved to have another go. We both had an extra set left, and we were close I think to P8 in Q2, but realistically, the top teams always pull another gear when we get to Q3.

“So realistically, we would have both been in the same position we are now – maybe gone half a second or six-tenths quicker. But I was happy with Q2.”

Heading the midfield pack is always an achievement, so was there some frustration at not being able to start from the P9 he originally earned?

“Yeah, I guess so,” he said. “But at the same time I knew coming into the weekend I would take the penalty. I mean, it's a bit of a shame that it was only two races ago I was taking a penalty already, but it is what it is. That's just the nature of how things are with the new engines this year.

“But very happy with today. It's not been an easy week. I've been slower than Liam in every session so far – I think eight or nine-tenths slower than him in the first run of Q1. So to be ahead at the end of Q2 when it mattered, I'm obviously very happy with.

“But at the same time, looking ahead to tomorrow now because that's where the points are scored, I think on this track, overtaking is possible. So just being with a good pace will help us to come through.”