Starting from ninth, Lawson delivered a composed and strategic drive to finish as the best-placed Red Bull-backed driver on the grid, even ahead of Max Verstappen, who ended up ninth after a difficult race in the factory team’s RB21.
Lawson’s Racing Bulls teammate Isack Hadjar was 11th while Yuki Tsunoda in the other Red Bull finished a lap down in 17th.
The result also maintains Lawson’s perfect record of scoring points in every race he’s qualified in the top 10 this season.
“I’m very happy with today’s result,” Lawson said.
“It was a tough race, and trying to find a window for boxing (pitting) was tricky with all the traffic.
“The speed was really good as well as the degradation on the tyres, so everything was well executed by the team.
“It’s never easy keeping a driver like Max behind you, but our strategy meant that we could keep position until the end.
“It’s obviously great to have more consistency over the most recent races, but the key thing is for us to keep the momentum going following the much-deserved summer break.”
The result further cements Lawson’s rising momentum, having now scored in four of the last seven grands prix.
View this post on Instagram
It also moves him within just two points of Hadjar in the championship standings, as the Frenchman extended his run of non-scoring races to five after finishing 11th.
Team principal Alan Permane praised Lawson’s drive, describing it as a well-executed race built on strong pace and strategy.
“A very strong race from Liam, both the car and the one-stop strategy worked very well; he made the tyres last well and brings home another 8th place,” Permane said.
Despite Lawson’s result, Racing Bulls slipped to eighth in the constructors’ standings behind Sauber, boosted by Gabriel Bortoleto’s sixth-place finish — a setback team boss Alan Permane said they’re determined to bounce back from in the second half of the season.
“Unfortunately, we’ve lost a position in the championship, but it’s all very tight in the midfield and we have a good car, so we’re looking forward to the second half of the season and I’m very sure we’ll get some positions back,” he added.
“A massive thank you to the drivers and all our teams back in Faenza and Milton Keynes, we can have a breather as we go into the break, and we’ll come back very strong in Zandvoort.”
Hadjar, who like Lawson qualified in the top 10 for the second consecutive race, was again left frustrated after slipping out of the points during a messy opening lap and a compromised stint.
“It’s pure frustration just missing out on points,” Hadjar said.
“The pace was strong all weekend, and I felt confident going into the race.
“Unfortunately, we didn’t get a great launch at the start. I gave it everything on lap one, but got overtaken and ended up getting stuck behind other cars.
“It’s a good result for the team and for Liam, there are definitely plenty of positives to take away.
“The car has the potential, I just need to put everything together when it counts.
“We’ve been a bit unlucky in the last few races, but I’m optimistic about the second half of the season. I’ll stay focused on what’s ahead and come back stronger after the summer break.”
Despite the team slipping a spot in the constructors’ standings, Lawson’s consistent performances have been a major positive heading into the summer break.
His eight-point haul in Hungary brings his season total to 20, the most by a New Zealand driver in a single season since 1970.
He now joins Kiwi F1 greats Chris Amon, Denny Hulme and Bruce McLaren as the only New Zealanders to score points in four or more grands prix in a single F1 season.
Discussion about this post