Lawson primed for points finish in Monaco, qualifies inside top 10

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Author: Alex Powell,
Publish Date: Sun, 7 Jun 2026, 8:38am

Liam Lawson is well poised for his fifth lot of Formula One points this year, after qualifying 10th for the Monaco Grand Prix.

On the most notoriously difficult track to overtake on - only four passes were made in the same race last year - Lawson was able to earn himself a top 10 start, courtesy of reaching the third and final stage of qualifying (Q3).

And unless Lawson’s Racing Bulls suffers reliability issues when the lights go out on Sunday night (NZT), finishing in the points is more than just a possibility over the course of the 78-lap affair.

The Kiwi had struggled on the first day of the weekend, including hitting the wall twice at turn 16, but was able to perform when it mattered most.

“I tried really hard today,” he said afterwards. “I hit the wall quite a few times, I tried to get everything out of it.

“But after yesterday, it’s a good result. We made big changes this weekend, bigger than we normally do.

“It’s never as nice, but it also shows that we can still put it together after a shaky start to the weekend.”

Lawson’s best lap, 1m 13.412s, was 1.361s off the pace set by Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli, who will start on pole in the hunt for a fifth-straight victory after qualifying with a 1m 12.051s.

Last year, the Racing Bulls driver was able to come home eighth, at the time a career-best result, after helping his team pull off a strategy that nullified rules that required all cars to pit twice. That rule has been removed for this year, though.

Liam Lawson will start inside the top 10 at the Monaco Grand Prix. Photo / Photosport

What’s more, as speculation begins to mount towards which drivers will earn contracts for the 2027 Formula One season, Lawson’s qualifying position was comfortably better than teammate Arvid Lindblad, who will start 15th.

Lawson sits 10th in the drivers championship, after scoring points in China, Japan, and Canada.

At the front of the grid, Antonelli is joined on the front row by four-time world champion Max Verstappen, who was 0.043s back from the Mercedes.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was on course to take pole in his home race, but hit the wall on his final lap and will start fourth, alongside teammate Lewis Hamilton.

No driver has won the Monaco Grand Prix in dry weather from outside the top 10 since Alain Prost in 1985.

Having finished outside the top 10 in all three practice sessions, Lawson wasted no time in setting his first lap in the opening session of qualifying.

The Kiwi’s first effort of 1m 15.477s saw him temporarily move to the top of the timesheets, even if he fell to 14th by the time all 22 drivers had completed their first timed laps.

With a buffer of 0.255s between himself and elimination, Lawson improved to 1m 14.498s to move inside the top 10, albeit with other drivers improving, before Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto broke his suspension and hit the wall at the chicane between turns 10 and 11 with less than three minutes remaining in the session.

As the green flag was waved, Lawson was 0.249s clear, but didn’t have enough time to start a lap before the chequered flag waved. And after a nervy wait, Lawson finished Q1 in 13th, and advanced with 0.224s up his sleeve.

Eyeing a place in the top 10, Lawson continued to better his times throughout Q2. A first effort of 1m 14.097s became 13.827s by the time he returned to the pits in ninth place, with a 0.109s gap to elimination.

With less than two minutes to go, Lawson improved once more to a 1m 13.471s to solidify ninth, as he booked his place in the top 10 by 0.316s.

Into Q3, Lawson - along with Alpine’s Pierre Gasly - were slightly disadvantaged by having to start on an old set of tyres, after the top four teams were able to save a set in the opening session.

As a result, a time of 1m 13.790s was slower than the one he advanced to Q3 with, as Lawson sat eighth by the time all drivers had posted their first lap. And while he was able to post his best time of the weekend, 1m 13.412s, Lawson completed Q3 as the slowest of the top 10.

The Monaco Grand Prix begins at 1am on Monday morning (NZT).