The New Zealander climbed early on the opening lap and managed his way through a chaotic field to secure six championship points, marking his third points finish of the season and fourth overall when including the China sprint.
Lawson’s result came despite a difficult build-up, with reliability issues limiting his running across the weekend and leaving him on the back foot heading into the race, while a lack of balance and overall pace remained a factor throughout the grand prix.
Starting on the medium compound, Lawson gained positions immediately off the line before switching onto soft tyres later in the race, where he was forced to manage tyre temperatures in the closing stages.
A late charge from Alpine’s Pierre Gasly proved the biggest threat, with Lawson holding the position in a tight battle to the flag.
“After a difficult start to the weekend, finishing in P7 is definitely a good result for us, so it’s nice to bring home points for the team,” Lawson said.
“Overall, it wasn’t an easy race. We made up some ground from where we started, but we also struggled with the balance of the car and lacked some speed throughout the race.
“The biggest challenge was to maintain the correct temperature on the tyres as we were only able to do it during the flat-out laps.
“The Alpines were faster than us today and Pierre didn’t give me an easy time at the end of the race when I was on the soft tyres, so I’m happy to have defended my position.
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“I’m excited to get back to racing in Monaco in a couple of weeks as we look ahead to the European stretch of the season.”
The result was particularly significant given the contrasting fortunes in the Racing Bulls garage, with teammate Arvid Lindblad unable to start the race after his car failed to engage gear on the grid, leaving him stranded before the formation lap.
Racing Bulls team principal Alan Permane praised Lawson’s defensive drive, highlighting both the result and the broader learnings taken from the weekend.
“There are lots of positives and learnings to take from today,” Permane said.
“Liam had a stunning race despite us not being as fast as Alpine. He showed a masterclass of defending against a clearly faster car, so it’s great to have him finish in the points following a tricky start to the weekend.
“Unfortunately, Arvid had an issue with the clutch at the start of the formation lap, meaning he couldn’t engage first gear on the grid.
“It’s a shame as there was a great opportunity given the pace he’s shown all weekend.
The result keeps Lawson inside the top 10 of the world championship standings, sitting 10th overall, just two points behind Oliver Bearman and one ahead of Franco Colapinto, while Racing Bulls move to sixth in the constructors’ championship, two points clear of Haas.
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