Kiwi Formula 1 driver Liam Lawson has qualified 12th for tomorrow’s US Grand Prix.
The 23-year-old Racing Bulls driver went fifth fastest during the first round of qualifying (Q1) but was knocked out in Q2 after his lap time was deleted for running wide- narrowly missing out on a spot in the top 10 by just 0.122s.
It comes after an impressive showing in the sprint race earlier in the day, where Lawson charged through the field from 15th to finish ninth, just one place shy of the points-scoring finish.
Despite not advancing to Q3, Lawson was still the second-best out of the four Red Bull backed cars, with his teammate Isack Hadjar starting in 19th place after crashing into the barriers just minutes into qualifying.
Red Bull's Yuki Tsunoda, who is also battling for a race seat next year, will line up one place behind Lawson in 13th, but appeared to be agitated at the kiwi during qualifying and accused him of "purposely slowing down" around corners to get in his way.
Lawson will now face an uphill battle to convert his 12th-place start into a points finish in tomorrow’s main race, with strategy and tyre management likely to play a key role at the demanding Circuit of the Americas.
World Champion Max Verstappen snagged pole position ahead of McLaren's Lando Norris, with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc rounding out the top three.
Mercedes' George Russell will start fourth on the grid, with Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton completing the top five.
Current championship leader Oscar Piastri of McLaren qualified in sixth place, following a collision with his teammate and championship rival Norris during the sprint race earlier in the day.
The United States Grand Prix will take place Monday morning (8am NZT).
Lawson's placing comes as uncertainty continues to hang over his future in the sport.
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