Liam Lawson believes he could have achieved an even better result in Brazilian Grand Prix qualifying despite securing fifth place at Interlagos, with the Racing Bulls driver set to start Sunday's race from third on the grid following penalties for George Russell and Charles Leclerc.

The New Zealander delivered another impressive performance in difficult conditions, progressing through all three qualifying segments as heavy rain repeatedly disrupted proceedings in São Paulo.

Lawson was particularly competitive in Q2, with Racing Bulls making the right call on tyre selection as conditions evolved. He then carried that pace into Q3, eventually securing fifth place behind Lando Norris, Russell, Kimi Antonelli and Leclerc.

However, the 24-year-old felt there was more performance available, admitting that a mistake with his positioning on track prevented him from completing what could have been his strongest lap.

Lawson explains missed opportunity in Brazilian GP qualifying

Speaking after the session, Lawson praised the performance of his car in the wet while acknowledging his frustration at not extracting its full potential.

"I think we have a good car in both conditions. Either way, honestly, we'll see," he said when asked about the prospect of different weather conditions for Sunday's race.

"It's always tough in these conditions, but it's also enjoyable. These cars have a lot of horsepower this year and not much grip, so you're really sliding around. It's actually a shame. I made a gap to Fernando and caught him too much in the first lap, and then I had to abort the last lap, which ended up being probably the optimum one. And then it rained. Frustrated to not get everything out of it, but obviously we get lucky tomorrow with a couple of places."

Photo: Race Pictures

Lawson also explained how Racing Bulls' decision-making helped him reach the final qualifying segment, although he felt the car was capable of challenging even further up the order.

"I think we had a good chance today, honestly. We had a very strong car. We were very good at the call to go to inters in Q2. That's probably what put us up initially, but even in Q3, I think we had a good chance at fighting the front guys.

"Unfortunately, I just didn't make a big enough gap. My fault. But obviously we get a couple of places tomorrow, and we start in a good place."

Lawson refuses to take full credit for third-place start

With Russell receiving a five-place grid penalty and Leclerc dropping ten positions, Lawson will move from fifth to third on the provisional starting grid.

However, the Racing Bulls driver was quick to distinguish between his qualifying result and his actual starting position when asked about achieving his best grid position.

"Yeah, but I didn't qualify third. I qualified fifth. So it's sort of a good place to start. Obviously, I'll always take the free positions, but you always want to maximise as a driver as well."

Lawson wants drivers to have more freedom in wet conditions

Looking ahead to Sunday's race, Lawson also raised concerns about the possibility of further interruptions if heavy rain returns to Interlagos.

"When it rains, the problem is it rains so heavy that you can't really drive. There was a period where we got quite lucky, where it was just sort of consistent, and we were able to do Q1 and Q2. But basically, most of the time when it rains, it rains more than that, like it did before qualifying, and then you can't really race."

Asked about the particularly difficult conditions at the beginning of qualifying, Lawson acknowledged the risks but suggested he would prefer drivers to be given more freedom to compete.