Liam Lawson delivered an impressive drive to seventh in a chaotic, rain-affected Bahrain Grand Prix at Sepang, scoring six valuable points for Racing Bulls after running as high as fourth early on.
Heavy rain delayed the start in Malaysia, with several attempts required to get the race underway as teams faced a difficult tyre decision on a wet but improving circuit.
Around half of the field opted for intermediate tyres, while others gambled on slicks in the hope conditions would quickly improve. The intermediate runners immediately had the advantage, and Lawson made one of the best starts of the field.
Starting 11th, the Kiwi charged through to fourth place in the opening stages, behind race leader Kimi Antonelli, George Russell and Max Verstappen. Isack Hadjar followed in fifth ahead of Carlos Sainz, Alex Albon, Esteban Ocon, Arvid Lindblad and Oscar Piastri.
Those who gambled on slick tyres struggled badly for grip, leaving the likes of Lando Norris, Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso and Charles Leclerc outside the top 15 early on. At the front, Verstappen began applying pressure to the Mercedes pair and passed Russell for second on Lap 6.
Lawson, meanwhile, found himself in a multi-lap battle with former teammate Hadjar. The Red Bull driver eventually made his way through at Turn 15 on Lap 6, dropping Lawson to fifth.
The complexion of the race changed when Valtteri Bottas slid into the gravel and became beached, bringing out the first Safety Car.
Its timing played perfectly into the hands of those who had started on intermediates, allowing them to switch to slick tyres while losing significantly less time than they would have under green-flag conditions.
Lawson switched to the hard compound, as did Racing Bulls teammate Lindblad and Piastri. Mercedes opted for mediums, while Verstappen and several others went onto soft tyres. Racing resumed on Lap 13 with Antonelli leading, but Verstappen wasted little time making his move.
The four-time World Champion went around the outside at Turn 1 before completing the pass at Turn 2 to take the lead. Russell also capitalised on the battle to move into second, dropping Antonelli to third.
Hadjar held fourth, with Lawson maintaining fifth ahead of Ocon, Lindblad, Gabriel Bortoleto, Piastri and Nico Hulkenberg. Overtaking assistance was enabled on Lap 15 as conditions continued to improve and the circuit dried.
Lawson remained fifth through Lap 21 and was forced into defence as a queue of cars began forming behind his Racing Bulls.
Hamilton, on the faster soft tyre, steadily closed on the Kiwi before getting through on Lap 23. Lawson dropped to sixth and immediately came under pressure from Ocon, with Lindblad also close behind.
Further up the road, Verstappen continued to control proceedings, opening a 5.4-second advantage. Piastri was the next driver to catch Lawson, the pair going wheel-to-wheel into Turns 1 and 2 on Lap 30 before the Australian completed the pass for sixth.
Lawson made his second stop one lap later, taking another set of hard tyres and emerging just ahead of teammate Lindblad. By then, Verstappen had stretched his advantage to more than nine seconds.
Another twist came on Lap 43 when Albon stopped just off the circuit with a gearbox failure. Officials initially called a Virtual Safety Car before upgrading it to a full Safety Car to allow the Williams to be recovered.
Lawson took the opportunity to pit again, switching onto a fresh set of soft tyres and initially dropping from eighth to ninth. The Safety Car period then became even more dramatic when Russell stopped with a power unit problem and was forced to retire.
Norris also took a trip through the gravel at Turn 1, falling from eighth to 11th and helping promote Lawson back to seventh. That left just three laps of racing when the field was released on Lap 52.
Verstappen led from Antonelli, Hadjar, Hamilton, Leclerc and Piastri, with Lawson seventh ahead of Alonso, Hulkenberg and Norris.
Lawson immediately attacked Piastri for sixth and briefly took the lead during their wheel-to-wheel battle. Piastri responded, however, regaining the position and leaving Lawson to focus on keeping Alonso behind.
There was plenty of action further up the order as Hamilton passed Hadjar on Lap 53 to claim third place. Leclerc followed through into fourth, dropping Hadjar to fifth with Piastri close behind.
Verstappen held firm at the front to claim victory in the 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, taking his first win of the season. Championship leader Antonelli finished second, while Hamilton completed the podium in third.
Leclerc took fourth ahead of Hadjar and Piastri, with Lawson crossing the line seventh after an impressive afternoon at Sepang. Alonso, Norris and Lindblad completed the top 10, with Lindblad’s 10th-place finish adding another point to Racing Bulls’ tally.
Lawson leaves Malaysia with six valuable Drivers’ Championship points and another strong result for Racing Bulls, climbing from 11th to fourth at the start and spending much of the race fighting cars with stronger outright pace.
His seventh-place finish also keeps him inside the top 10 in the Drivers’ Championship in 9th place, with a healthy gap to Gasly in 10th.
Formula 1 returns next weekend for the Singapore Grand Prix, with the race scheduled to begin at 1:00 am NZDT on Monday, October 12.
Header Image: Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images via Red Bull Content Pool
