After a difficult start to the Formula One season, Liam Lawson delivered a strong performance at the Belgian Grand Prix, finishing eighth and earning points for the third time in his last six races.
Lawson, a 23-year-old New Zealander, was initially dropped by Red Bull and relegated to the Racing Bulls junior team after just two races. He struggled early in the season, failing to score in the first seven rounds, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.
Sunday’s race, delayed by 80 minutes due to wet weather, saw Lawson make a perfectly timed switch from wet to dry tyres. This strategic move allowed him to pull away from Brazilian rookie Gabriel Bortoleto and secure four crucial points.
Starting from ninth on the grid, Lawson praised the team’s strategy and expressed confidence ahead of next weekend’s race at the Hungaroring.
“I really enjoyed today. Often in those conditions, you just want to survive, so I’m very happy for the team and how everything came together,” Lawson said.
“It’s always tricky crossing over to a dry tyre when it’s damp, but the car was fast, and in clean air, we had great pace. We need to keep the momentum rolling forward and make sure we enter the summer break on a high.”
The season has been turbulent for the Red Bull-owned teams, with Lawson working under his third team principal this year. The recent sacking of Christian Horner—who initially gave Lawson his Red Bull seat only to take it back—led to the promotion of Racing Bulls’ team principal Laurent Mekies.
Racing director Alan Permane, acting as interim team principal, lauded Lawson’s performance.
“Liam had a near-perfect race, managing his tyres exceptionally well on both intermediates and dry tyres. He was strong and comfortably pulled away from Bortoleto behind and was very happy with the car overall,” Permane said.
