June 28, 2025 • 10 mins
Liam Lawson will start sixth at Formula One’s Austrian Grand Prix, and is the highest-placed of the four Red Bull-backed cars ahead of both teammate Isack Hadjar and world champion Max Verstappen.
For the first time since Saudi Arabia earlier this year, Lawson will start ahead of his Racing Bulls teammate – who was eliminated in the second qualifying session (Q2). Hadjar will start 13th.
NZ Herald sportswriter Alex Powell joined Piney to discuss.
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Weekend Sport podcast with Jason Fine
from News Talk ZEDB had a.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Song by Frankievellick. Wellington Phoenix take on Wrexham AFC next
month at Sky Stadium. It's just on fourteen pass to
a strong qualifying performance from Liam Lawson ahead of tomorrow's
Austrian Formula One Grand Prix the Key. We will start
from sixth on the grid, the best of the four
red ball back drivers after igning champion Max for stapp
(00:34):
And had to settle for seventh fastest. His final lap
was ruined by a late yellow flag. It is Liam
Lawson's best qualifying effort of the season, beating his starting
spot of ninth at the Monaco Grand Prix.
Speaker 3 (00:45):
We've done a lot of work on the car and
on my side as well, just to make it more
comfortable for me, and it's been there, it just hasn't shown.
So it's nice to to show it today, but obviously
tomorrow is also.
Speaker 4 (00:55):
The important day.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
It's also the first time since Saudi Arabia in mid
April that Liam Lawson has outqualified his racing balls teammatee
Isaac Hadger, who could only manage thirteenth fastest Mclair, Ore
and Lando and Norris on pole ahead of Charla Clair
and the Ferrari, the other McLaren of Oscar Pastre Lewis
Hamilton fourth and the second Ferrari. Then George Russell fifth
for Mercedes and Liam Lawson sixth on the grid. Now
(01:18):
Formula one expert is the New Zealand heralds Alex Powell, who,
after having a I'm going to get you to put
him to air for me if you could, Mark, who's
had a late night or a very early morning covering
the race, but is able to chat to us. Now,
Alex talk us through what Liam did really well in qualifying.
Speaker 5 (01:38):
I mean it's hard to say why he did well
and nailed down to one per sick thing. He definitely
did some hot chips for the way he's driven sort
of all week and it has been a very tight field.
I guess what he did was he just didn't make
any mistakes and he had everything go as way. Like
I came on your show a couple of weeks ago
before Canada and we spoke about how he just needs
things to go his way and they just don't. And
then the two times they haven't been Monaco in Austria
(02:00):
where he's quite five in the top ten.
Speaker 2 (02:01):
Are you starting to see the benefit of time behind
the racing wheel for Liam?
Speaker 5 (02:08):
I think absolutely you are getting there. I don't think
Liam Lawson has been as bad as what has been
put out there, Like we seem to have this almost
vampiric need for him to these scoring points every weekend.
But the issue has been that his teammate Isaac Hadger
has just been flying, you know. So you look at
where they are in the Constructor's Championship and that Racing
Bulls car probably is about six best. So results of
(02:29):
eleventh and twelfth are basically where they should be.
Speaker 2 (02:33):
It's wonderful use of the word vampiric. I don't think
I've ever heard that on the radio before, so I
make a note of that word and use it often
from here on in. So I guess now the challenge
is to stay there when the race is underway tomorrow,
talk to us about this course, Alex. How challenging will
it be for Liam to hold sixth spot or how
(02:54):
likely or not is it that he could even move
up from that position.
Speaker 5 (02:57):
It's going to be tricky. Like I said that the
Racing Bulls car is not as fast as you know
the other ones around him, especially when he's got max
A stepping behind him, and seven the staff is going
to be like a volcano and to turn one just
exploding all over the place. I think the thing that
really could go in and stay with though, is the
track has been very hot, and like we saw in Canada,
when it is that hot, you can't really be too
(03:18):
aggressive on your tires. So we saw, you know, in
Canada a couple of weeks ago and Lawson qualified down
in nineteenth. He was really stuck and having to try
and push to get higher up while managing what he's
gone underneath him. But now that he's in six he
can sort of try and hold where he is, like
if he if he's finished at sixth rather that'll be brilliant.
If he gets seventh that'll be great as well, given
that the staff and probably will pass them quite early on.
Speaker 2 (03:40):
So what happened to Max for Stappan that slow for
him seventh? But I read your report this morning in
the New Zealand Herald and you talked about a yellow
flag on his final flying lap. Tell us about that.
Speaker 5 (03:53):
So basically, Pierre Gasley of Alpine lost control at the
last turn triggered a yellow flag and that means that
the staff and had to slow down right as he
was coming around that sort of last sector, which meant
that the tide, the lap he was on which I'd
have seen him and he probably would have seen him
go ahead, was then vullid basically because he had to
drop his pace and he couldn't get the final ten
(04:14):
for the second he needed to qualify, you know, maybe
definitely probably in the top four, because you know, he
had polled the last five Austrian Grand Prix.
Speaker 2 (04:22):
Just back to Liam, I watched some of his postmatch
interview and there just seemed to be a heck of
a lot of relief there, you know. He said, it's
been a tough year and you and I have talked
about it a lot, a lot on and off the year.
It has been a tough year. Is there any danger
that now he's qualified six that he you know, that
he feels job done in Austria and that he might
(04:43):
not perhaps achieve sixth tomorrow. If you get where I'm
driving it.
Speaker 5 (04:48):
He won't think it's job done. He said afterwards that
the important day is today. It depends what you want
as success. I mean the points finished from here has
been incredible results. You know, you look at where Hajjar
is and he's meant to be the better of the
two drivers of based off results, and he's done in thirteen.
So if Liam can get in the points and they
head of Haji, I think that'll be perfect.
Speaker 2 (05:08):
Yuki Sonoda eighteenth the poison chealous of the second Red
Bull driver. What's going on here?
Speaker 5 (05:15):
I mean, it's the same issue that Liam Lawson had.
It's the same issue that Sergio Perez had. It's the
same issue that it's our one had. It's the same
issue that Pierre Guess we had. Lightning doesn't strike five times.
Redell have just built that car for Naxas step and
only a Naxa step In is just a freak. You know,
he will do things. You know, in any case, it's
basically a tractor on. You know that they've got out
there and you've just got a generational talent in one
(05:37):
of them, but then the other car is struggling.
Speaker 2 (05:39):
So how then do they make progress in the Constructors Championship?
Speaker 5 (05:45):
Well they don't, and they've said as much. They don't
really care. Once they've moved Lean laws and back to
racing balls. They were adamant, No, we don't care about
the constructors Championship. We just want to see the step
and win a straight driver's title, you know, and that
will have ramifications further down the track. But in the
short term they I think they're prepared to just bang
on the credibility of having another driver's title.
Speaker 2 (06:04):
But don't I remember reading or you might have even
told me this that they were keen on the constructors Championship,
But clearly the strategy doesn't suggest that they are.
Speaker 5 (06:16):
No. I mean, you need two cars scoring points, yeah,
in the constructor and basically they've not had that all season.
I think since Yuki has gone there, he's scored points
in one race, you know, So that tells you basically
everything you need to know that that is not a
championship winning car.
Speaker 2 (06:31):
Could anybody drive the second? What have you put Lando
Norris in there? Or Charlie Clair or Oscar Piastre? Would
they have the same issues?
Speaker 5 (06:40):
A Piastree I think might be a shout, just because
everything you hear about him is that he is so
good at problem solving in real time. But I think
any of those other nineteen drives on the grid are
going to struggle if you just drop them in there
right away. Let's not forget Maxis Stappens and not just
turned up either. He's been that team for years and
they've been able to tailor it to his wants and needs.
Speaker 2 (07:00):
Back to leam, then to finish. So what time we
go tomorrow morning? Is about one o'clock New Zealand time?
Speaker 5 (07:04):
Is it one am? Everyone's getting up with him?
Speaker 2 (07:06):
Okay, well look I'll set the alarm and get up
and have a look. What's your pig? What are you?
I mean, I know, haat and head and all that
sort of thing. What's your head telling you about what's
going to happen?
Speaker 5 (07:21):
I think he might lose a place or two off
the start, but I think there's definitely enough, especially if
racing Bulls get the strategy right like it has been
a real area of contention this year with how they've
worked with Liam, whereas Isaac Hadja has had the better
of it. You remember back to Saudi Arabia where Liam
olt qualified Hadja. They put Hadjar on the better strategy
and he ended up overtaking him on a different set
of tires. So if they can do that, I think
(07:42):
points is definitely achievable, but like as we know with
motors for anything can and will happen.
Speaker 2 (07:47):
Thank you for your vampiric analysis, Alex. Anytime mate got
on Alex Pale you can read him an in zid
hereld dot co dot nzi. He is our motorsport expert
and yeah, a regular contributor to Weekend Sport. Here's Liam
Lawson after qualifying.
Speaker 3 (08:04):
It's been a strong day and something I feel is
very good. Honestly, it's been a very very tough year
and you know, as we're saying like that, the cart
has been very fast, and we've been fast through most
practice sessions recently and had really good potential for qualifying
and then it's for whatever reason doesn't come through. Sometimes
(08:24):
it's super small things at the moment, getting the tire
in the right window or just putting together a lap
and yeah, it's been pretty tough. So to get this
done today is it's a good feeling.
Speaker 4 (08:35):
Yeah, it says an awful lot about your character. You've
had to have the tin hats at times during this
year so you could go away and then proved one
or two points, not just not just a single one.
I think though, I mean and and and tomorrow converting it?
Speaker 2 (08:49):
What what?
Speaker 3 (08:49):
What?
Speaker 4 (08:50):
What's it going to take to try and stay there?
Are there the boats where you start?
Speaker 3 (08:54):
I think the strategy is it's not that clear, to
be honest, and I think you know, our long run
pace was good, but it's it's about making the right
decisions tomorrow obviously for me, getting a good start doing
the right things behind the wheel. And I think there's
a couple of guys obviously around us that we're probably
not fighting, but some of the guys behind we're going
to try and keep out.
Speaker 2 (09:14):
Good on him, I just think good on him. He's
had such a tough year and some of his post qualifying,
post practice, post race interviews have been filled with obvious frustrations.
So for him to have a mixture of obviously delight
but also just a little bit of relief that you
know that things went his way for once this year
(09:34):
was cool to see. So one o'clock tomorrow morning, New
Zealand time, as Alex Pale said, is when the race starts.
Let's hope that he can well stay sexed, even move
a little bit further up. Simon says on text, Liam
just has to let Max go at turn one and
then slam the jandle down on the pedal. Keep it
clean and get some points easy. I'll be watching Let's Go,
(09:56):
Liam says Simon. Good on you, Simon, You've almost got
me sitting in alarm. I probably should get up and
have a look.
Speaker 1 (10:02):
For more from Weekend Sport with Jason Fine, listen live
to News to it B weekends from midday, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio.
You're listening to the Weekend Sport podcast with Jason Fine
from News Talk ZEDB had a.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Song by Frankievellick. Wellington Phoenix take on Wrexham AFC next
month at Sky Stadium. It's just on fourteen pass to
a strong qualifying performance from Liam Lawson ahead of tomorrow's
Austrian Formula One Grand Prix the Key. We will start
from sixth on the grid, the best of the four
red ball back drivers after igning champion Max for stapp
(00:34):
And had to settle for seventh fastest. His final lap
was ruined by a late yellow flag. It is Liam
Lawson's best qualifying effort of the season, beating his starting
spot of ninth at the Monaco Grand Prix.
Speaker 3 (00:45):
We've done a lot of work on the car and
on my side as well, just to make it more
comfortable for me, and it's been there, it just hasn't shown.
So it's nice to to show it today, but obviously
tomorrow is also.
Speaker 4 (00:55):
The important day.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
It's also the first time since Saudi Arabia in mid
April that Liam Lawson has outqualified his racing balls teammatee
Isaac Hadger, who could only manage thirteenth fastest Mclair, Ore
and Lando and Norris on pole ahead of Charla Clair
and the Ferrari, the other McLaren of Oscar Pastre Lewis
Hamilton fourth and the second Ferrari. Then George Russell fifth
for Mercedes and Liam Lawson sixth on the grid. Now
(01:18):
Formula one expert is the New Zealand heralds Alex Powell, who,
after having a I'm going to get you to put
him to air for me if you could, Mark, who's
had a late night or a very early morning covering
the race, but is able to chat to us. Now,
Alex talk us through what Liam did really well in qualifying.
Speaker 5 (01:38):
I mean it's hard to say why he did well
and nailed down to one per sick thing. He definitely
did some hot chips for the way he's driven sort
of all week and it has been a very tight field.
I guess what he did was he just didn't make
any mistakes and he had everything go as way. Like
I came on your show a couple of weeks ago
before Canada and we spoke about how he just needs
things to go his way and they just don't. And
then the two times they haven't been Monaco in Austria
(02:00):
where he's quite five in the top ten.
Speaker 2 (02:01):
Are you starting to see the benefit of time behind
the racing wheel for Liam?
Speaker 5 (02:08):
I think absolutely you are getting there. I don't think
Liam Lawson has been as bad as what has been
put out there, Like we seem to have this almost
vampiric need for him to these scoring points every weekend.
But the issue has been that his teammate Isaac Hadger
has just been flying, you know. So you look at
where they are in the Constructor's Championship and that Racing
Bulls car probably is about six best. So results of
(02:29):
eleventh and twelfth are basically where they should be.
Speaker 2 (02:33):
It's wonderful use of the word vampiric. I don't think
I've ever heard that on the radio before, so I
make a note of that word and use it often
from here on in. So I guess now the challenge
is to stay there when the race is underway tomorrow,
talk to us about this course, Alex. How challenging will
it be for Liam to hold sixth spot or how
(02:54):
likely or not is it that he could even move
up from that position.
Speaker 5 (02:57):
It's going to be tricky. Like I said that the
Racing Bulls car is not as fast as you know
the other ones around him, especially when he's got max
A stepping behind him, and seven the staff is going
to be like a volcano and to turn one just
exploding all over the place. I think the thing that
really could go in and stay with though, is the
track has been very hot, and like we saw in Canada,
when it is that hot, you can't really be too
(03:18):
aggressive on your tires. So we saw, you know, in
Canada a couple of weeks ago and Lawson qualified down
in nineteenth. He was really stuck and having to try
and push to get higher up while managing what he's
gone underneath him. But now that he's in six he
can sort of try and hold where he is, like
if he if he's finished at sixth rather that'll be brilliant.
If he gets seventh that'll be great as well, given
that the staff and probably will pass them quite early on.
Speaker 2 (03:40):
So what happened to Max for Stappan that slow for
him seventh? But I read your report this morning in
the New Zealand Herald and you talked about a yellow
flag on his final flying lap. Tell us about that.
Speaker 5 (03:53):
So basically, Pierre Gasley of Alpine lost control at the
last turn triggered a yellow flag and that means that
the staff and had to slow down right as he
was coming around that sort of last sector, which meant
that the tide, the lap he was on which I'd
have seen him and he probably would have seen him
go ahead, was then vullid basically because he had to
drop his pace and he couldn't get the final ten
(04:14):
for the second he needed to qualify, you know, maybe
definitely probably in the top four, because you know, he
had polled the last five Austrian Grand Prix.
Speaker 2 (04:22):
Just back to Liam, I watched some of his postmatch
interview and there just seemed to be a heck of
a lot of relief there, you know. He said, it's
been a tough year and you and I have talked
about it a lot, a lot on and off the year.
It has been a tough year. Is there any danger
that now he's qualified six that he you know, that
he feels job done in Austria and that he might
(04:43):
not perhaps achieve sixth tomorrow. If you get where I'm
driving it.
Speaker 5 (04:48):
He won't think it's job done. He said afterwards that
the important day is today. It depends what you want
as success. I mean the points finished from here has
been incredible results. You know, you look at where Hajjar
is and he's meant to be the better of the
two drivers of based off results, and he's done in thirteen.
So if Liam can get in the points and they
head of Haji, I think that'll be perfect.
Speaker 2 (05:08):
Yuki Sonoda eighteenth the poison chealous of the second Red
Bull driver. What's going on here?
Speaker 5 (05:15):
I mean, it's the same issue that Liam Lawson had.
It's the same issue that Sergio Perez had. It's the
same issue that it's our one had. It's the same
issue that Pierre Guess we had. Lightning doesn't strike five times.
Redell have just built that car for Naxas step and
only a Naxa step In is just a freak. You know,
he will do things. You know, in any case, it's
basically a tractor on. You know that they've got out
there and you've just got a generational talent in one
(05:37):
of them, but then the other car is struggling.
Speaker 2 (05:39):
So how then do they make progress in the Constructors Championship?
Speaker 5 (05:45):
Well they don't, and they've said as much. They don't
really care. Once they've moved Lean laws and back to
racing balls. They were adamant, No, we don't care about
the constructors Championship. We just want to see the step
and win a straight driver's title, you know, and that
will have ramifications further down the track. But in the
short term they I think they're prepared to just bang
on the credibility of having another driver's title.
Speaker 2 (06:04):
But don't I remember reading or you might have even
told me this that they were keen on the constructors Championship,
But clearly the strategy doesn't suggest that they are.
Speaker 5 (06:16):
No. I mean, you need two cars scoring points, yeah,
in the constructor and basically they've not had that all season.
I think since Yuki has gone there, he's scored points
in one race, you know, So that tells you basically
everything you need to know that that is not a
championship winning car.
Speaker 2 (06:31):
Could anybody drive the second? What have you put Lando
Norris in there? Or Charlie Clair or Oscar Piastre? Would
they have the same issues?
Speaker 5 (06:40):
A Piastree I think might be a shout, just because
everything you hear about him is that he is so
good at problem solving in real time. But I think
any of those other nineteen drives on the grid are
going to struggle if you just drop them in there
right away. Let's not forget Maxis Stappens and not just
turned up either. He's been that team for years and
they've been able to tailor it to his wants and needs.
Speaker 2 (07:00):
Back to leam, then to finish. So what time we
go tomorrow morning? Is about one o'clock New Zealand time?
Speaker 5 (07:04):
Is it one am? Everyone's getting up with him?
Speaker 2 (07:06):
Okay, well look I'll set the alarm and get up
and have a look. What's your pig? What are you?
I mean, I know, haat and head and all that
sort of thing. What's your head telling you about what's
going to happen?
Speaker 5 (07:21):
I think he might lose a place or two off
the start, but I think there's definitely enough, especially if
racing Bulls get the strategy right like it has been
a real area of contention this year with how they've
worked with Liam, whereas Isaac Hadja has had the better
of it. You remember back to Saudi Arabia where Liam
olt qualified Hadja. They put Hadjar on the better strategy
and he ended up overtaking him on a different set
of tires. So if they can do that, I think
(07:42):
points is definitely achievable, but like as we know with
motors for anything can and will happen.
Speaker 2 (07:47):
Thank you for your vampiric analysis, Alex. Anytime mate got
on Alex Pale you can read him an in zid
hereld dot co dot nzi. He is our motorsport expert
and yeah, a regular contributor to Weekend Sport. Here's Liam
Lawson after qualifying.
Speaker 3 (08:04):
It's been a strong day and something I feel is
very good. Honestly, it's been a very very tough year
and you know, as we're saying like that, the cart
has been very fast, and we've been fast through most
practice sessions recently and had really good potential for qualifying
and then it's for whatever reason doesn't come through. Sometimes
(08:24):
it's super small things at the moment, getting the tire
in the right window or just putting together a lap
and yeah, it's been pretty tough. So to get this
done today is it's a good feeling.
Speaker 4 (08:35):
Yeah, it says an awful lot about your character. You've
had to have the tin hats at times during this
year so you could go away and then proved one
or two points, not just not just a single one.
I think though, I mean and and and tomorrow converting it?
Speaker 2 (08:49):
What what?
Speaker 3 (08:49):
What?
Speaker 4 (08:50):
What's it going to take to try and stay there?
Are there the boats where you start?
Speaker 3 (08:54):
I think the strategy is it's not that clear, to
be honest, and I think you know, our long run
pace was good, but it's it's about making the right
decisions tomorrow obviously for me, getting a good start doing
the right things behind the wheel. And I think there's
a couple of guys obviously around us that we're probably
not fighting, but some of the guys behind we're going
to try and keep out.
Speaker 2 (09:14):
Good on him, I just think good on him. He's
had such a tough year and some of his post qualifying,
post practice, post race interviews have been filled with obvious frustrations.
So for him to have a mixture of obviously delight
but also just a little bit of relief that you
know that things went his way for once this year
(09:34):
was cool to see. So one o'clock tomorrow morning, New
Zealand time, as Alex Pale said, is when the race starts.
Let's hope that he can well stay sexed, even move
a little bit further up. Simon says on text, Liam
just has to let Max go at turn one and
then slam the jandle down on the pedal. Keep it
clean and get some points easy. I'll be watching Let's Go,
(09:56):
Liam says Simon. Good on you, Simon, You've almost got
me sitting in alarm. I probably should get up and
have a look.
Speaker 1 (10:02):
For more from Weekend Sport with Jason Fine, listen live
to News to it B weekends from midday, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio.
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