Lawson third in rain hit Brazilian Grand Prix qualifying

Visa Cash App Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson will start Sunday's Brazilian Grand Prix in a season's-best third place after a superb performance in a heavily rain-affected qualifying, while Oracle Red Bull Racing's will start from 21st after changing an engine before the session at the historic Interlagos circuit.

A huge downpour at the start of the qualfying session in São Paulo led to a lengthy red flag delay and then, when drivers got the green light to hit the track again, Lawson immediately impressed in the extremely difficult conditions.

Comfortably driving into the final Q3 shootout, Lawson delivered another excellent performance there to secure the fifth fastest time as McLaren driver Lando Norris claimed pole position. However, with second and fourth fastest George Russell and Charles Leclerc among a number of drivers incurring penalties, the New Zealander was then bumped up to third place and a second row start.

Behind Lawson, Isack Hadjar was the top Oracle Red Bull Racing car in seventh place, but, like Lawson, will start the Grand Prix from two positions further up the grid in fifth while Arvid Lindblad in the second VCARB 03 will lineup in 12th place on Sunday.

Four-time world champion Max Verstappen meanwhile was forced to change the engine in his RB22 ahead of qualifying, meaning that no matter what time he set, he will start the Grand Prix from the back of the grid. Taking no risks in the terrible conditions, the Dutchman set the 16th best time and will be faced with a hard race from 21st position on Sunday.

QUOTES

Oracle Red Bull Racing

ISACK HADJAR - 5th

"Q1 was not too bad, maybe a slow start with a cautious approach, but in the end we went through quite easily into Q2, where we were quite competitive and third fastest. I was very confident going into Q3 and felt there was an opportunity to be in the top three. We took a bet leaving the garage last, but we took too much time getting out of the pits and it started raining more and more. The further ahead you were, the better the conditions were, so being last on track cost us a lot. I didn't expect conditions to be that challenging, there was very little grip and we were aquaplaning a lot more than I expected. It feels like a missed opportunity because the pace was there. The car is still fast, and we're starting in P5, so hopefully conditions are good enough tomorrow for us to race and fight for the podium."

MAX VERSTAPPEN - 21st

"We knew coming into today that qualifying would be a little different for us given the grid penalty. Nevertheless, FP3 and qualifying gave us a better understanding of the car and how to get it into the best possible window for tomorrow. Q1 went well and we were competitive, but with the amount of standing water on track and knowing we would be starting from the back, there was no reason to take unnecessary risks.

"Tomorrow will be a challenge. With overtake mode rather than DRS this year, making our way through the field might not be as straightforward as in previous seasons. But I'll do everything I can to move forward and score as many points as possible. We've come through difficult situations before, so let's see what we can do."

LAURENT MEKIES - CEO & Team Principal

"It's been a busy day here in São Paulo, with plenty of work going on behind the scenes. The team made a number of changes overnight and Max's performance in FP3 was an encouraging indication of the progress we had made. With the power unit change and the resulting grid penalty, we knew qualifying would require a different approach for Max, particularly in the wet conditions. The focus was on learning as much as possible about the car while avoiding unnecessary risks in those tricky conditions.

"Isack secured P5 on the grid after the various penalties were applied, which gives him a solid starting position for tomorrow, although we know he was hoping for a little more after a very strong Q2. There is still work to do, but we now have a clearer understanding of where we stand and where we need to improve.

"Tomorrow will be a challenging race, particularly for Max starting from the back, but we know how unpredictable racing in Brazil can be. We will stay focused on ourselves, make the most of every opportunity and give both Max and Isack the best possible chance to move forward."