The 2025 F1 US GP proved challenging for the Racing Bulls duo of Liam Lawson and Isack Hadjar, as both drivers left the weekend without scoring any points. Hadjar crashed during his first Q1 run in Qualifying on Saturday, forcing him to start from the back of the grid on Sunday.
In both the Sprint and the main race, Racing Bulls clearly struggled with progressing through the field. Lawson narrowly missed out on points, finishing P11 on Sunday, while Hadjar crossed the line further back in P16. Speaking in the print media zone after the race, both drivers reflected on what was a tough weekend for the team at the F1 US GP.
“I tried everything” – Lawson on missing out on points
Lawson reflected on the race with frustration, admitting he gave everything he could but was ultimately left stuck in between both Aston Martins. Despite a strong launch off the line, he acknowledged that their race pace fell short, leaving him stuck behind Fernando Alonso for most of the race.
“I mean, I tried as hard as I could, I tried everything. But yeah, I think Aston had us sort of in control today, with obviously having Fernando in front and Lance behind, so it was tough. I think we had a fast start this weekend, but missed out I think. To be honest our race pace wasn’t amazing, but at the same time I spent the whole race on Fernando’s gearbox. So yeah, it’s frustrating to have no points.”
While he’d believed that their car had the pace to fight for points, Alonso’s strategic driving found Lawson needing to defend from Lance Stroll instead. After showing strong pace on Saturday, Lawson found it surprising that their speed had dropped off during the race.
“I think there definitely was, but there was also more in Fernando’s. He was just pushing me back towards Lance. So yeah, I think we had the speed to fight for points, but probably the back end of it honestly we weren’t quick enough.”
“Which is surprising because I think we had a very fast car yesterday. But yeah, at the same time it’s very close right now, so to have a pace advantage over anybody is very, very tough.”
Race-pace wasn’t enough to catch Alonso
Lawson explained that changing wind conditions throughout the weekend made it difficult to find the right balance in the car. Despite the shifting conditions, he was encouraged that their overall race pace remained consistent and even stronger than expected.
“Conditions have been a bit changing all weekend. Yeah, just the wind. Wind’s a different direction. So the first few laps we’re just trying to find the right balance. Completely changing the sort of tools we were using yesterday, we changed it for today. And it’s a learning curve, but I don’t think it changed the pace for us. We’re surprised we’re still having this pace.”
During Qualifying, Lawson secured himself a P12 start on the grid for Sunday’s race. While he reflected on their strong one-lap pace, he knew that their race pace ultimately fell short on Sunday. Despite Alonso backing up the pack early on, Lawson admitted he couldn’t close the gap and that their car wasn’t as competitive as they had anticipated.
Lawson said: “Yeah, I think our one lap pace yesterday was definitely top ten. But yeah, at the same time we definitely weren’t quick in the race today. We weren’t quick enough. Even with Fernando backing us up I think at the start, I wasn’t catching them. So yeah, I think we weren’t as quick as we thought we’d be.”
A challenging weekend for Hadjar
Compared to Lawson, Hadjar endured an uncharacteristic weekend, marked by his crash in Qualifying and a noticeable struggle to match his teammate’s performance throughout the weekend. For the Frenchman, he admitted the race unfolded as he expected. Opting to gamble on a safety car, Hadjar and Racing Bulls saw their strategy fail to pay off.
“To be honest, that was the race I expected today. So far this weekend, I haven’t shown real pace and not great confidence in the car. So, yeah, we were not very competitive. Obviously, the strategy was betting on a long first stint, hoping for a safety car, but today was a very, very clean race, apparently. So, yeah, just a very boring race. At least I had fun with Pierre at the end.”
