Liam Lawson highlights added 'risk' during Yuki Tsunoda battle
Liam Lawson delivered the best result of his Formula 1 career with fifth place at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, capping a weekend that showcased coolheaded racecraft under pressure. In the closing laps, the Racing Bulls driver defended against a late-charging Yuki Tsunoda, with Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton queued up behind, forming a high-stakes train to the flag.
Key duel: timing, tyres and nerve
The tension peaked when Tsunoda pitted long after Lawson’s sole stop, rejoining on fresher medium tyres. He emerged marginally ahead, only for Lawson to wrest the position back within the next corners. The New Zealander admitted he had expected the challenge to be more severe: "He was on a fresh set of tyres, on a medium and a grippier tyre … I was expecting him to catch me faster."
Despite that tyre offset, Lawson underlined where his package shone: "Our sector three was strong this weekend; it needed to be." He also referenced energy management after an earlier slip: "After the mistake with Kimi, I made sure I never ran out of energy again." With Max Verstappen enjoying a strong race in the sister camp, Lawson acknowledged: "They had a great race, and the car looks good."
Pressure at the end: taking more risk
As the laps ticked down, the calculus sharpened. Lawson conceded he was prepared to push the envelope to keep the place: "At the end of the race, obviously, I'm going to try and take a bit more risk to keep it there." The dynamic with Tsunoda drew extra attention given the duo had swapped seats after the second round of the campaign, and because Tsunoda races for a sister team. Even so, Lawson insisted the helmet rule applied: treat every car the same.
"I had no idea what position I was in until we crossed the line, but I knew we were in a decent position because of all the cars that were behind me," he said. "So naturally, you're just trying to keep the car behind. It was the same with [Charles] Leclerc. It was the same with Kimi [Antonelli] at the start."
Result and meaning
Fifth place was not just a personal milestone; it delivered a strong haul of points for Racing Bulls and underlined the team’s ability to hang tough in a strategic, tyre-sensitive fight. That Lawson kept his cool while juggling energy targets, tyre offsets and team-context narratives only amplified the quality of the drive. The fact he crossed the line not even sure of his exact position spoke volumes about his focus: eyes forward, manage the pack, and finish it off.
