'Frustrating': Lawson qualifies 11th for Dutch GP sprint

Returning to the cockpit of a Red Bull, Kiwi F1 driver Liam Lawson qualified 11th for the sprint race at the Dutch Grand Prix. Meanwhile, Mercedes Driver George Russell got back to the front of the Formula 1 field on Friday and joked it's because he's no longer carrying an engagement ring. Lawson put in a strong showing at the start of sprint qualifying, outpacing <a href="https://www.1news.co.nz/2026/08/21/f1-max-verstappen-ends-speculation-about-red-bull-future/">temporary teammate Max Verstappen</a> in SQ1. His day ended in SQ2, unable to make the top 10. Lawson said it had been an "interesting day", only <a href="https://www.1news.co.nz/2026/08/20/liam-lawsons-red-bull-return-confirmed/">finding out he'd be driving a Red Bull</a> earlier this week – and given just a single practice session to adapt to an entirely new car. “Normally, you sort of improve through Quali, and we started SQ1 quite strong, then we didn’t make the same step that everybody else did. We’ll look into it," he said.