The Sao Paulo Grand Prix produced arguably one of the most dramatic qualifying sessions of the 2024 season. With the weather continuously changing, some unexpected results have emerged. Liam Lawson is one such driver who produced a positive surprise as he will line up in P5 for the Grand Prix on Sunday.
With his girlfriend, Hannah St. John, staying up till 3 AM [in New Zealand] to watch him drive around Interlagos, it is fair to say that Lawson made up to her by putting up an outstanding qualifying display.
St. John took to Instagram and put up a story to inform her fans that she had to stay up till 3 AM to watch qualifying, which lasted for an hour and 45 minutes after five red flag periods due to various drivers having nervy moments in what was a difficult session.
“Up at 3 AM and definitely going grey,” she wrote in her Instagram story to celebrate Lawson’s P5 qualifying result. Now, if St. John is keen to see her boyfriend compete in the race, she would either need to stay up for a lot more hours or she could take a short nap.
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With rain expected for the race as well, all drivers and their teams will continue to be tested for the entire duration of the Grand Prix. As for Lawson, it would be key for him to stay out of trouble at the start and try and hang on in the top 10, as faster cars such as Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri are set to start just a few places behind him.
Lawson has a golden opportunity to prove his worth
Ever since Lawson joined the grid, conversations have revolved around Red Bull considering him as a potential option to replace the struggling Sergio Perez. While Lawson has had an impressive return to the grid so far, scoring two points from his two races, this will arguably be his best opportunity to register one of his strongest-ever F1 results.
What will further help him add salt to Perez’s wounds is that the Mexican is set to start outside the top 10 after getting knocked out in Q2. Moreover, with RB looking extremely strong in the rain, all the early signs seem to suggest that this is an opportunity Lawson would have been hoping for when he got back into F1.
RB’s strong pace was evident as both cars made it to Q3, with Yuki Tsunoda qualifying an incredible P3. Since Tsunoda, like Lawson, would also be desperate to leave an impression on the Red Bull top brass, fans could get to see some tense action between the two RB drivers as they perhaps get set to battle for their strongest finishes in a race in 2024.
