Liam Lawson’s hopes of scoring points at the Belgian Grand Prix ended in disappointment after the Kiwi crossed the line in 12th place following a challenging afternoon at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps.
Lawson started ninth on the grid after qualifying 11th, gaining two places following grid penalties for Lando Norris and Isack Hadjar.
Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli lined up on pole position alongside Max Verstappen, with George Russell, Charles Leclerc, Lewis Hamilton, Oscar Piastri, Arvid Lindblad, Gabriel Bortoleto, Lawson and Pierre Gasly completing the top 10 starters.
Rain threatened before the start, with Piastri reporting light showers at Turn 1 on the formation lap, although conditions remained dry enough for slick tyres.
Antonelli launched well from pole before Verstappen briefly stole the lead into Turn 1. The young Mercedes driver fought back through Eau Rouge and Raidillon before reclaiming first place into Turn 3. Their battle allowed Leclerc to slip past Verstappen and move into second.
Further back, chaos unfolded almost immediately when Hamilton tagged Russell, sending the Mercedes driver into the gravel and out of the race before the opening lap was complete. Hamilton was later handed a five-second penalty for causing the collision.
Lawson was caught in an entertaining battle with teammate Arvid Lindblad during the opening lap, briefly moving ahead before the Safety Car was deployed to recover Russell’s stranded Mercedes.
Several drivers took advantage of the neutralisation to make an early “cheap” pit stop, while Lawson stayed out and climbed to sixth place behind Antonelli, Leclerc, Verstappen, Piastri and Hamilton.
Racing resumed on Lap 5, with Verstappen reclaiming second from Leclerc a lap later.
On Lap 8, Leclerc and Piastri made contact while fighting over third position, triggering a stewards’ investigation.
Behind them, Lindblad eventually found a way past Lawson for sixth. The Briton was running the latest Racing Bulls upgrades, while Lawson remained on the older specification package, which is expected to arrive on his car before next weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix.
Despite the performance deficit, Lawson had done well to initially overtake Lindblad and keep him behind during the opening stages.
Norris, recovering from his grid penalty, overtook Lawson on Lap 10, dropping the Kiwi to eighth.
Lawson made his scheduled pit stop on Lap 16, switching to the hard compound tyres. Lindblad stopped a lap later, with the pair emerging side-by-side and immediately resuming their fight. Lindblad eventually held onto the position after a robust battle that was noted by the stewards for forcing another driver off the circuit.
A Virtual Safety Car on Lap 18 reshuffled the order as several front-runners made perfectly timed pit stops. Leclerc emerged in the effective race lead ahead of Antonelli, while Hadjar and Bortoleto also gained valuable track position, jumping ahead of both Racing Bulls drivers.
At half distance, Lawson was running 10th but faced increasing pressure as the race unfolded.
The Kiwis’ afternoon unravelled during the closing stages. Colapinto overtook Lawson for 10th before Gasly also found a way through on Lap 33, dropping Lawson to 12th.
Meanwhile, Antonelli hunted down Leclerc before making the decisive move on Lap 34 along the Kemmel Straight to reclaim the race lead.
The Italian controlled the remaining laps to claim victory and extend his Formula 1 championship lead.
Leclerc finished second ahead of Verstappen, while Hamilton, Piastri, Hadjar, Norris, Bortoleto, Lindblad and Colapinto completed the top 10.
Hamilton remained under post-race investigation following an alleged unsafe release during his pit stop after a near miss with one of Ferrari’s mechanics.
Lawson held off Nico Hulkenberg over the closing laps to secure 12th place.
While it was a frustrating result for the Kiwi, Racing Bulls’ performance difference between the upgraded car of Lindblad and Lawson’s older package was evident throughout the race. Lawson is expected to receive the same upgrades before next weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix, providing renewed optimism heading into the next round.
Formula 1 returns next weekend with the Hungarian Grand Prix at the Hungaroring, with Practice 1 beginning at 11pm NZST on Friday, 24 July.
Header Image: Mark Thompson/Getty Images via Red Bull Content Pool
