The New Zealander climbed three positions from 11th on the grid at the Hungaroring, making a strong start before using a two-stop strategy to move back through the midfield during the closing stages.
Lawson gained three places on the opening lap to run eighth ahead of teammate Arvid Lindblad and Nico Hulkenberg, immediately recovering from a qualifying session in which he had narrowly missed a place in Q3.
The 24-year-old lost ground as several faster cars recovered through the field and found himself behind Lindblad later in the race, but Racing Bulls committed him to a two-stop strategy that gave him fresher tyres for the final stint.
That allowed Lawson to pass his teammate and secure eighth place, finishing ahead of Hulkenberg and Lindblad as Racing Bulls recorded its latest double points result.
“It was a good race for us today. The first corner and lap one was obviously very important for me given I had a challenging Qualifying yesterday,” Lawson said.
“Following a strong start, we knew we had a long race ahead, but the car just felt super strong throughout.
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“A huge thanks to the team who made the right call on the two-stop strategy. To have two cars in the points is a great way to round off the first half of the season.”
The result marked an immediate response from Lawson after he failed to score at the Belgian Grand Prix, where he had narrowly missed Q3 before finishing outside the top 10.
It also continued a strong run of form that has moved him firmly into the top half of the drivers’ championship as Formula 1 enters its summer break.
Racing Bulls team principal Alan Permane praised the execution from both sides of the garage after Lawson and Lindblad combined to score five points.
“It was a long tough race today, but we’ve been rewarded with a fantastic double celebration, finishing with two cars in the points and moving up to 5th place in the Constructor’s Championship; something we’ve all been working so hard towards,” Permane said.
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“It’s a great way to finish off the first half of the season. We always aim for operational perfection and we came very close to that today.”
Racing Bulls had been locked in a tight battle with Audi through the midfield, but the double points finish was enough to move the Faenza-based team into outright fifth in the constructors’ championship, five points clear of Alpine.
Permane said the result reflected the strength of the car throughout the weekend and the team’s ability to convert its pace into points.
“It was a good battle with Audi – very close, but we ultimately came out on top,” he said.
“The car was strong in both Qualifying and the race and it was executed flawlessly by the team.”
Lindblad finished 10th after starting ninth, securing his sixth consecutive points finish despite being overtaken by Lawson during the latter stages of the race.
The rookie said Racing Bulls could take considerable satisfaction from entering the break fifth in the standings after another competitive display.
“It’s a great result for the team to come away with another double points finish today and move up to P5 in the Constructors’ Championship, so there’s a lot to be happy about,” Lindblad said.
“The team has done an incredible job developing the car, and it’s great to see all of that hard work being rewarded.”
Lindblad admitted he had not maximised the opening stages as effectively as Lawson, but believed the experience would help him when the season resumes at Zandvoort.
“I wasn’t able to maximise the start as well as I would have liked, but those are the kinds of lessons I’ll take into the second half of the season,” he said.
Lawson’s four points lifted his season total to 43 and moved him into ninth in the drivers’ championship, one point ahead of Pierre Gasly.
The tally is already the second-highest scored by a New Zealand driver across a single F1 season, trailing only the 51 points accumulated by Denny Hulme during his championship-winning campaign in 1967.
It means Lawson has scored more points in 2026 than any other New Zealander managed during a season in which they did not win the world championship.
His career total has also climbed to 87 points, moving him ahead of Chris Amon’s tally of 83 and into third among New Zealand drivers in Formula 1 history.
Only Bruce McLaren, with 196.5 points, and Hulme, with 248, remain ahead of Lawson on the country’s all-time list.
Lawson said Racing Bulls’ position heading into the break reflected the progress made across the opening half of the season and was confident the team could continue its momentum when racing resumes.
“To be heading into summer break fifth in the Constructors’ Championship is a reflection of all the hard work the team has put in so far this year,” he said.
“While I’m looking forward to recharging over the next few weeks, I’m excited to carry this momentum forward into Zandvoort.”
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