Liam Lawson capped off one of his strongest Formula One weekends of the season with a superb sixth-place finish in a drama-filled British Grand Prix at Silverstone, securing a valuable double-points haul and continuing his impressive run of form.
After collecting a point with eighth in Saturday’s Sprint, the Kiwi added another eight in Sunday’s 52-lap race to complete his second double-points weekend of the year.
The result also matched his best grand prix finish of the 2026 season and lifted his championship tally to 39 points, already surpassing the total he managed across the entire 2025 campaign with 15 races still remaining.
It was another significant step forward for Lawson and Racing Bulls, whose consistent midfield pace was rewarded with both drivers finishing inside the top seven for a fifth consecutive race weekend.
“It was a very, very good weekend,” Lawson said afterwards.
“Credit to all the work that’s been going on from the team. To be consistently at the front of the midfield is really good.
“Personally, I feel very good. I’ve been putting a lot of work into off-track, and I’m enjoying it as well.
“It’s been a good run, and with a couple more races coming up before the break, it’d be nice to keep that momentum going.”
Starting from 10th on the grid, Lawson wasted no time making progress. As the field charged towards the opening corners, he produced one of the standout moves of the race by passing both teammate Arvid Lindblad and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri around the outside into Turn 6.
The move elevated Lawson to eighth by the end of the opening lap, though it also resulted in slight contact with Piastri, damaging the Australian’s front wing. Piastri was forced to pit immediately for repairs, ending any hopes of challenging for a near-front finish.
With Lando Norris several seconds ahead, Lawson settled into a measured race, concentrating on tyre management while maintaining a comfortable advantage over Lindblad behind.
As the opening stint unfolded, the Racing Bulls pair emerged as some of the fastest midfield runners. Lawson briefly had his progress interrupted while negotiating traffic from backmarkers, allowing Lindblad to close the gap, but the New Zealander soon rebuilt his advantage.
The team’s strategy became a talking point around the halfway mark, with both Racing Bulls among the last drivers yet to make their first pit stops. Lindblad was brought in one lap before Lawson, but despite rejoining on fresher tyres and applying pressure through the middle phase of the race, Lawson absorbed everything his teammate could throw at him.
The Kiwi defended cleanly, gradually edging back outside the one-second DRS window to secure eighth place on the road.
While Lawson was delivering another composed drive, the battle at the front was producing plenty of drama.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc made a brilliant getaway from the front row to snatch the lead from pole-sitter Kimi Antonelli before the opening lap was complete. Lewis Hamilton also swept past the Mercedes rookie to make it a Ferrari one-two in the early stages.
Antonelli recovered to pass Hamilton and looked capable of challenging Leclerc after extending his opening stint. However, his race unravelled when a failure involving the left-front wheel shield severely affected the handling of his Mercedes.
The Italian was forced into multiple unscheduled pit stops as the team attempted repairs, dropping him out of contention before a later five-second penalty for repeated track limits violations completed a miserable afternoon.
Further drama arrived with just four laps remaining when Max Verstappen spun into the gravel, bringing out the Safety Car and effectively ending the race under caution.
Those late incidents elevated Lawson from eighth to sixth, while teammate Lindblad also gained two positions to finish seventh, completing another outstanding afternoon for Racing Bulls.
Out front, Leclerc was never challenged after the late neutralisation and crossed the line to claim his first victory of the season and the ninth Grand Prix win of his career.
George Russell inherited second after staying on track during the late Safety Car period while others pitted, with Hamilton completing the podium despite a post-race investigation into an alleged yellow flag infringement.
Lando Norris finished fourth ahead of Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar, while Lawson led home Lindblad in sixth and seventh, respectively.
Gabriel Bortoleto claimed eighth for Audi, with Alpine teammates Franco Colapinto and Pierre Gasly rounding out the top 10.
For Lawson, however, the biggest reward was another polished performance that underlined both his growing confidence and Racing Bulls’ continued progress.
The New Zealander has now recorded nine top-10 finishes this season and continues to establish himself as one of the most consistent performers in the fiercely contested midfield.
With momentum firmly on his side heading into the final races before Formula One’s summer break, Lawson and Racing Bulls will travel to Belgium aiming to continue their impressive form as the fight for fifth in the constructors’ championship intensifies.
Header Image: Clive Mason/Getty Images via Red Bull Content Pool
