Liam Lawson: Software Bug Cost Six Seconds at US Grand Prix

During the United States Grand Prix, Liam Lawson faced an "extremely distracting" software issue that set him back by six seconds under the Virtual Safety Car (VSC). The Racing Bulls driver concluded the race in ninth place, extending his 'best of the rest' lead over Alpine's Pierre Gasly by 35 points in the Drivers' Championship.

Lawson began the race from ninth on the grid at the Circuit of The Americas, holding his position behind George Russell and the McLaren duo. Although not part of their battle, he comfortably outpaced Gasly to secure his ninth-place finish, eight seconds ahead of the Alpine driver.

The race wasn't without its hurdles. The VSC was deployed after Valtteri Bottas retired his Cadillac, requiring drivers to maintain a delta pace. An alarm, intended to alert drivers if they exceed this pace, malfunctioned for Lawson, continuously beeping despite him being six seconds within the limit. "When the VSC came out, we went into a double yellow, and we get alarms that beep when you're going too quickly, and it was really loud," Lawson explained. "I thought I was illegal, and I'm slowing right down, and then I look down, and I'm like six seconds positive, so I'm good. But the thing’s beeping in my ear, so it was extremely distracting."

Despite this glitch, both Lawson and his Racing Bulls teammate Arvid Lindblad made it to the qualifying shoot-out, though Lawson did not set a lap time in Q3. The team intentionally saved his fresh tyres for the race, a decision Lawson supported after the Grand Prix. "It's good. I mean, the car's been working well now, and obviously with upgrades this weekend, it’s nice to see them working well," he said. "I think we’ve done a good job at executing this weekend. We came into the race with plenty of tyres as well, saving them from yesterday, and then we didn’t need to use them. But I think that’s a good sign."