Kiwi F1 driver Liam Lawson will start 15th for tomorrow's Mexican Grand Prix, after failing to put a lap time on the board during the second stage of qualifying.
The Racing Bulls driver, who finished just outside the points in last week's race in Austin, went sixth-fastest during the first stage of qualifying (Q1), setting a quickest lap time of 1m 16.961s.
During Q2, Lawson was forced to abort his lap time after running wide at Turn 5 during a flying lap attempt. A mistake during his second lap attempt saw him eliminated in 15th place.
"We had a fast car today," Lawson said post-qualifying. "I just struggled with the balance in Q2."
"It was difficult, decided to abort the second lap and try on a used tire at the end, which wasn't the right move.
"It's going to be hard to overtake for sure, but we'll see where we get tomorrow."
It's a crucial time to score points for Lawson, who is set to have his future in the sport decided next week by Red Bull.
McLaren's Lando Norris secured pole position around the Mexico City track, joined by Ferrari's Charles Leclerc on the front row.
Lewis Hamilton rounded up the top three in third place- his career-best grand prix start for Ferrari.
Mercedes driver George Russell took fourth place ahead of current world champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull, who will start fifth.
Championship leader Oscar Piastri will start eighth on the grid for tomorrow's race (9am NZT).
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