Liam Lawson came into the Sao Paulo Grand Prix under a bit of pressure, but he put together the kind of drive he needed.
It was not the smoothest lead-up to the race, either, as Lawson was hit with a penalty point following a clash with Oliver Bearman during Saturday’s Sprint Race.
Qualifying was another eventful session, with Lando Norris grabbing pole for McLaren. But it was Racing Bulls who stood out among the midfield teams.
Isack Hadjar started from fifth on the grid, while Lawson lined up in seventh next to Haas’ Bearman.
The race itself was full of incidents, and both Racing Bulls drivers took advantage after Ferrari lost both cars early on due to collisions.
Despite starting behind Hadjar, it was Lawson who ended up taking home six points, compared to four for his teammate.
That edge came from running a one-stop strategy, and it even earned him a new nickname from his engineer after crossing the line.
Liam Lawson earns new nickname after impressive Sao Paulo showing
In the closing stages of the race, Lawson and Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg found themselves defending against drivers on fresher tyres, both having committed to a one-stop strategy.
On the final lap, having already passed Hulkenberg, Hadjar attempted an overtake on his teammate, resulting in contact.
Lawson managed to hold his ground and finished ahead. As he crossed the line, he was praised over team radio: “That is a masterclass. Charge on. Charge on.”
Lawson replied: “Mate, I’m so happy,” and his engineer responded: “That’s it. Minister of Defence of New Zealand, Liam Lawson.”
Hadjar appears to be moving closer to a promotion with Red Bull next season, but there is less clarity about what lies ahead for Lawson.
His contract runs out at the end of this year, but performances like this one – especially compared to Yuki Tsunoda’s last-place finish – will not hurt his chances of staying in F1 beyond 2026.
Lawson responds to Hadjar’s final lap clash at Interlagos
With over 50 laps on his medium tyres, Lawson had a lot of pressure from the cars behind late in the race.
Hadjar went for an aggressive move around the outside of turn one on the final lap. Both drivers made contact but managed to continue without losing their places.
Speaking after the race, Lawson said: “Yeah, he was going for a move, and it’s the type of corner that obviously curves in, and he’s obviously trying to clear me before the braking, and I think he misjudged it.
“But obviously we both came out of it, so it was OK and more importantly for the team to have two cars seventh and eighth is great today.
“It’s the last lap of a race, honestly, I think there’s no way that the team can expect or anybody can expect.
“As much as it’s an ideal thing to do, there’s no way that we’re not going to race for a position like that.
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“So I respect it. Obviously, we’re lucky that we came out of it, but it’s been a great weekend for the team.”
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