Liam Lawson has secured another strong points finish in the Formula 1 Brazilian Grand Prix, moving up to seventh after Charles Leclerc received a five-second penalty for contact with the New Zealander during their late-race battle at Interlagos.
Starting third after equalling his career-best qualifying result, Lawson made an impressive start, moving into second on the opening lap before eventually losing ground to the faster cars as the circuit dried.
The Kiwi initially crossed the line eighth but moved up to seventh after Leclerc’s penalty, securing six championship points and taking his season tally to 89.
The result also marks Lawson’s 15th points finish of 2026, equalling Pierre Gasly’s record for the most in a single season by a Racing Bulls driver, while extending his advantage over the Alpine driver to 47 points in the battle for ninth in the Drivers’ Championship.
Conditions were damp but improving ahead of the 71-lap race, with drivers starting on intermediate tyres.
Drama unfolded before the start when newly crowned World Champion Kimi Antonelli spun his Mercedes on the reconnaissance lap. He recovered without significant damage and took his place alongside polesitter Lando Norris.
Antonelli made the better start to take the lead, while Lawson went around the outside of Norris at Turn 1 before moving into second through Turn 2.
The Kiwi held the position through the opening laps, but Norris soon began closing in as Lawson struggled with his rear tyres. Norris reclaimed second on Lap 6, with Isack Hadjar and George Russell passing Lawson over the following two laps.
Max Verstappen, who had started 21st, was next to pass the Racing Bulls driver on Lap 11, dropping him to sixth. As the track dried, drivers began switching from intermediate tyres to slicks, with Lawson making his first stop on Lap 17.
Russell lost time after spinning at the pit exit, while race leader Antonelli also spun on Lap 20, handing the lead back to Norris. Lawson briefly found himself running fifth before Oscar Piastri passed him on Lap 24.
The Kiwi then spent much of the middle stint running comfortably inside the points, although Russell eventually caught and passed him for sixth on Lap 46.
Lawson made his second stop on Lap 49, rejoining eighth between the Ferraris of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc.
With Leclerc running on much older tyres, Lawson was able to pass the Ferrari and move back into seventh. However, rain returned in the closing stages, forcing drivers to switch back to intermediate tyres.
Lawson made his final stop with fewer than ten laps remaining, rejoining eighth before gaining a position when Hamilton spun in the worsening conditions.
That left the Kiwi seventh, although Leclerc was closing in behind. The pair battled in the closing laps, making contact at Turn 12 before Leclerc completed the pass around the outside at Turn 3 on the penultimate lap.
Although Lawson crossed the line eighth, Leclerc was subsequently handed a five-second time penalty for the contact, dropping the Ferrari driver behind the Kiwi in the final classification.
The decision promoted Lawson to seventh, earning him six championship points instead of four.
“It was a good start,” said Lawson post-race.
“Once the pace stabilises, we don’t really have the pace to fight. I’m honestly just trying to enjoy driving at the moment. The car is in a great place.
“The fact we’re fighting Ferraris, McLarens and Mercedes at different points of the race today is obviously cool.”
With his future at Racing Bulls still unconfirmed, another points finish strengthens Lawson’s case for remaining on the grid next season. Teammate Arvid Lindblad narrowly missed out on the points, finishing 11th.
At the front, Norris recovered from losing the lead on the opening lap to claim his third victory of the season, finishing 14.6 seconds ahead of Verstappen. The Red Bull driver produced an impressive recovery from 21st on the grid to finish second, while teammate Hadjar completed the podium in third.
Russell recovered from his earlier spin to finish fourth, ahead of Antonelli, with their combined results securing Mercedes the 2026 Constructors’ Championship.
Piastri finished sixth for McLaren, followed by Lawson in seventh after Leclerc’s penalty. The Ferrari driver dropped to eighth, ahead of teammate Hamilton, who recovered from 20th on the grid to finish ninth in his 400th Formula 1 start. Nico Hulkenberg completed the top ten.
Fernando Alonso finished 12th behind Lindblad, followed by Franco Colapinto, Gasly and Alex Albon, who received a five-second penalty following an incident involving Gasly.
Home favourite Gabriel Bortoleto finished 16th, ahead of Ollie Bearman, Sergio Perez, Carlos Sainz and Formula 1 debutant Rafael Camara. Lance Stroll was the only retirement, while Valtteri Bottas failed to start due to a technical issue with his Cadillac.
Formula 1 is scheduled to return later this month for the Las Vegas Grand Prix, with uncertainty remaining over the final two rounds in Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
For Lawson, another six points further strengthens his hold on ninth in the championship as he continues to lead the battle among drivers outside the top four teams.
Header Photo: Manuel Eletto/Sutton Images via Red Bull Content Pool
