Lawson to start at ninth at Monaco after best qualifier of season
New Zealand Formula One driver Liam Lawson has notched his best qualifying result of the season after securing a ninth place start for the Monaco Grand Prix.
The result marks the first time this season that the young Kiwi has advanced to the third and final session of qualifying.
The Racing Bulls driver credited his team's efforts as a major factor behind his performance.
"We were able to unlock the car in Free Practice and I've been feeling pretty comfortable all weekend," Lawson said after qualifying.
"It was a strong qualifying for the team, we had a really fast car today but we had even more on the table, as we struggled a little bit with the tyres and had some traffic in Q3."
The 23-year-old remained optimistic about his chances in the race, especially given the new two-stop rule that is expected to shake up the usual Monaco procession.
Drivers will have to make two pit stops to change tyres.
"It will be exciting tomorrow with the new rules," Lawson said.
"We are all going to be learning and trying to make the most of every opportunity and the two stops will certainly make it interesting."
Lawson was sixth-fastest when he completed his final hot lap in Q3, but fell to ninth after teammate Isack Hadjar, Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon recorded quicker times.
Lando Norris secured pole position for McLaren and set a track-record time, with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc in second and Norris' teammate Oscar Piastri qualifying third.
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