The 2025 Azerbaijan Grand Prix marked Liam Lawson’s finest leads to his nascent Components 1 profession.
A wonderful Q3 lap on a moist Baku observe propelled the Racing Bulls racer to 3rd on the grid; he dropped behind each Mercedes within the race however pounced on Yuki Tsunoda for fifth as quickly because the Crimson Bull driver got here out of the pits.
Racing Bulls workforce principal Alan Permane praised Lawson’s “20 good laps in the direction of the top, retaining these vehicles behind him”, whereas Crimson Bull advisor Helmut Marko detailed to Autosport: “It was an excellent battle. We instructed Yuki to do quick laps earlier than the pitstop. So the objective from our facet was that he is forward of Lawson, which labored.
“However clearly the tyres had been not likely heat, so Lawson used the possibility and overtook him. And it was a very good battle between the 2. Each had been quick, as a result of Yuki was generally inside one tenth, however that reveals that there’s competitors between the 2 groups.”
There was an emblem in Lawson overtaking Tsunoda, who coincidentally achieved his finest race consequence for the reason that 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – the New Zealander was changed by the Japanese driver at Crimson Bull earlier this season after a dismal opening couple of grands prix.
Crimson Bull had banked on selling the inexperienced Lawson over fifth-year Tsunoda for 2025, believing he had higher potential, however modified its thoughts after the teen faltered – qualifying 18th, twentieth and twentieth in Australia and each Chinese language qualifying periods.
Liam Lawson, Crimson Bull Racing
Photograph by: Crimson Bull Content material Pool
Lawson was open about how he disapproved of the choice, which took a toll on his confidence as Racing Bulls was left to choose up the items of one more semi-discarded hopeful.
The 23-year-old struggled on his return to Faenza. Though he was twice hindered by technical points, he was outqualified 8-1 by rookie team-mate Isack Hadjar in his first 9 qualifying periods again on the workforce, displaying poor tempo in early races whereas being concerned in racing incidents.
However Lawson’s progress has been clear to see. From Japan to Canada, his common one-lap deficit to Hadjar (barring mechanical issues) was 0.208s; within the eight periods since then it’s been 0.009s.
Excluding the Dutch GP, the place he obtained a puncture within the slightest of touches with Carlos Sainz, each time Lawson has made it to Q3, he has transformed it into top-eight finishes with spotless drives.
With 26 factors, Lawson’s has been F1’s eighth-best performer for the reason that starting of the summer time; solely Alex Albon has scored extra (28) over that interval amongst midfield runners, with Hadjar down on 18. Lawson’s contribution to Racing Bulls has been evident, with the Italian outfit leaping again from eighth to sixth within the constructors’ standings during the last three grands prix.
Lawson’s case to retain his Racing Bulls drive in 2026 is just strengthened, though he’s not presently in rivalry for a return to Crimson Bull – however that’s now not his dream.
“I spent a very long time, particularly becoming a member of [Red Bull] as a junior at 17, simply learn how to get to Crimson Bull Racing – that was the place I noticed my future,” he defined in Thursday’s press convention on the Azerbaijan GP.
“Possibly… Not that I forgot why I do it, however that was a lot of the objective. It’s simpler now to take a seat again and realise the objective has all the time been successful and attending to the highest, and it doesn’t should be particular to the place that’s.”
Further reporting by Ronald Vording
