Rounding out the top 5 after a show of skill, pace and race strategy, Liam Lawson achieved his best 2025 season result at the F1 Azerbaijan GP. After starting his race from P3 following a great Qualifying, the Kiwi managed to keep up with the pressure. This result and the points meant a lot for the Racing Bulls driver and his team, especially after his tough start to the season.
Now sitting at an equal amount of points to Fernando Alonso, only 9 points separate him from P9 in the Drivers’ Championship. Nevertheless, the point of a rookie season is to improve and learn, and Lawson proved that he is capable of both. Taking advantage of the opportunities, the Kiwi avoided Baku’s chaos and brought home 10 points and a P5 finish.
Race overview from the #30 car
The F1 Azerbaijan GP had Liam Lawson racing hard as he attempted to keep his well-earned P3. Following his statements from post-qualifying, the Kiwi started his race with a big result in mind. While he was not able to keep his Racing Bulls car on the podium, Lawson kept trying.
Attributing the positions lost to an unfortunate lack of pace in the VCARB 02 compared to Mercedes, the 23-year-old shared his cockpit point of view.
“Yeah, I think we… I don’t think we had the speed today to finish on the podium, as much as I would’ve loved it. And when you start there, obviously, part of you tries to make it possible. Or feel like it’s possible. And we tried everything today. I think we made the right call on pit stops, tried to cover Kimi [Antonelli]. But we just didn’t have the speed today, so…
Nevertheless, all is well when it ends well. Lawson admitted that his ability to keep up with the much faster cars is still a great outcome.
“Part of it is frustrating. But I think looking at it as a big picture, it’s a great result to finish fifth. And we’ll take that going forward.”
Losing out on P4 to Antonelli
Lawson’s F1 Azerbaijan GP was filled with multiple battles as he tried to stay ahead of undercuts and overtakes. He remained P3 for almost 20 laps. The pressure from Kimi Antonelli after their pit stops saw the two rookies fighting on cold tyres.
Despite the Kiwi’s efforts to keep Antonelli behind, the Mercedes driver took advantage of Lawson’s empty battery by breezing by on the main straight. Managing it is a much-needed skill when fighting an overtaking attempt. The Racing Bulls driver learned that the hard way.
“I ran out of energy, yeah. Unfortunately. So frustrating,” explained Lawson. “You see the bar, and you get to the straight, and you know that halfway down the straight, you’re going to have nothing left. It’s something I learned from. And it’s made sure that when the next pack of cars came, it never happens. And I made sure through the lap that I always had the energy. So yeah, a big learning point for me in the race.”
However, sometimes in Formula 1, drivers have to hit their limits in order to learn. Liam Lawson’s overview in his post-race print media interview had him speaking of the inevitability of Antonelli’s overtake:
“But I think realistically, you know, he finished 10 seconds or something in front of me. So I don’t think I would have kept him behind for 30-odd laps. It was hard enough to keep the other group behind me.”
Battling it out with Tsunoda
Another pivotal moment from Lawson’s F1 Azerbaijan GP came in the form of his late race battle with Yuki Tsunoda. The two drivers have a history together after Lawson replaced Daniel Ricciardo at Racing Bulls. Yet, after the Kiwi failed to adapt to his transition at Red Bull Racing, he was dropped for Tsunoda.
While all the odds were against Liam Lawson, he managed to keep the Japanese driver on mediums at bay behind him. Looking over his race, the 23-year-old confessed he expected Tsunoda to pass him. Pointing out how the Japanese’s teammate, Max Verstappen, just flew by the whole weekend, Lawson was surprised he escaped Yuki Tsunoda.
“Yeah, I mean, for sure. He’s on a fresh set of tyres, on a medium, on a grippy tyre, and honestly, I thought he was probably going to… I was preparing for him to end up catching me quicker. And I expected him to be faster. Obviously, looking at Max [Verstappen] today, they had a great race, and the car looked good. So I think when I saw him come out on a better tyre, I was expecting him to catch me faster.”
Citing his costly battery mistake with Antonelli that had him lose out on a position, the Kiwi recognised the lesson learned. Furthermore, he attributed his performance under the threat of Tsunoda as a result of this lesson.
“But I think I was thinking it’s where he was strong this weekend. It’s where he needed to be. And as I said, for that mistake with Kimi, I made sure that I never ran out of energy again.”
Racing thoughts and wrong expectations
In response to a question that slightly accused Lawson of a possible internal conflict as he was battling Tsunoda, the Kiwi shot this idea down immediately. Before the Baku Round, talks followed after some statements from Helmut Marko detailed a deadline for the drivers to perform in the 2025 season.
As the Racing Bulls driver struggled to adjust in the early phases, this result settles those fears slightly. Yet, Lawson pointed out how his on-track approach towards Tsunoda did not differ due to what happened back in April.
“I think it’s probably easier to look in and think like that. But I think it’s when you’re in the car as well, I know the position I’m in. Actually, to be honest, 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.
“So, naturally, you’re just trying to keep the car behind. It was the same with Leclerc, it was the same with Kimi at the start. And at the end of the race, obviously, I’m going to try and take a bit more risk to keep it there. So I don’t really think too much like that,” said the Kiwi, declining any sort of accusation of an ulterior motive behind his battle with Yuki Tsunoda.
Motivating result
Nonetheless, none of the previously discussed racing incidents should take away from Liam Lawson’s significant performance during the F1 Azerbaijan GP weekend. With this round under his belt, Racing Bulls will return to Singapore with great momentum.
According to the Kiwi and his recent rounds, the car showed consistent potential. After Isack Hadjar’s podium at the F1 Dutch GP, the team showed incredible improvements in terms of competitiveness. Lawson showcased all this as he closed his interview on a positive note.
“I mean, it’s extremely positive. I think the main thing is our car has been consistently good across the board at all sorts of different tracks.”
