Heading into qualifying for the 2025 Sao Paulo Grand Prix, Aston Martin Racing had drawn level with Visa Cash App Racing Bulls, both now on 72-points in the Constructors Championship. Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso scored three-points in the 24-lap Sprint Racing while Racing Bulls Liam Lawson and Isaack Hadjar came away empty handed.
Qualifying for the Grand Prix at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace has seen the advantage swing back to Racing Bulls with both drivers qualifying in the top ten with Aston Martin knocked out in Q2.
“To have both cars in Q3 is a great result for the team,” said Lawson. “The pace was very strong in Qualifying, which is great given the tough Sprint race. We’ll be analysing the small details after losing lap time during Q3, which cost us a few positions, but it’s certainly a decent place to be starting from tomorrow. As always, the target is to score points, so we’ll be giving it our all on track.”
Isack Hadjar and Liam Lawson congratulate each other after qualifying – photo Mark Thompson/Getty Images
“The weather conditions we found today were certainly better than expected; the track was still damp for the start of the Sprint this morning, but everybody elected to start on the dry tyres,” commented Guillaume Dezoteux, Racing Bulls Head of Vehicle Performance. “The Sprint race was difficult for us, Isack had a poor start on the Soft tyres and lost several positions in the first few corners.
“After the red flag, we decided to put him on the Mediums, which looked a little bit more competitive, but it wasn’t good enough for points, despite several cars ahead being taken out in incidents. Liam had a decent start, but out of Turn 3 was pushed onto the grass. With wet and dirty tyres, he struggled in the following corner and made contact with another car, heavily damaging his floor and bodywork. From there it was tough to recover.
“Following the overnight analysis, simulator running and the driver’s feedback from the Sprint, we made several setup changes for Qualifying, including a downforce level change on Isack.
“Both drivers did a brilliant job to secure the fifth (Hadjar) and seventh (Lawson) positions on the grid and the team managed the progression through session on this very tight field very well – there were 13 cars in less than half a second in Q2! We have a long race ahead tomorrow, but we’re starting from a good position. The target is clear: score points with both cars.”
