Liam Lawson left the F1 Belgian GP with a renewed sense of confidence after bagging points in extremely tricky and difficult weather conditions, making Spa his third points finish of the season. The Racing Bulls driver scored four points after finishing eighth, gaining a position early on in the race by overtaking his teammate Isack Hadjar, who went wide on lap 12.
Lawson felt comfortable with a delayed start
The Belgium Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps began with an 80-minute weather delay after the stewards monitored the undrivable and somewhat dangerous weather conditions; after several drivers complained about visibility, the stewards eventually red-flagged and delayed the race.
However, several drivers, including Max Verstappen, opposed this decision. In contrast, Lawson expressed his agreement with the timing of it and felt confident in the FIA’s handling of the situation.
“Honestly, I think it was very well timed,” Lawson shared. “We did a few laps under the Safety Car, the conditions were getting better, and I think it was honestly the right time to start the race.”
Starting at P9 didn’t cause much concern for Lawson as he admitted the position to be a comfortable spot.
“For us, at least where I was, it was comfortable.”
Medium tyre gamble pays off
When reflecting on the team’s pit stop decision to switch to medium tyres, the New Zealand driver admitted to feeling unsure about whether or not it was the right call to switch from intermediates to mediums.
However, it was vital that Racing Bulls nailed it as points would have gone if he stayed out another lap.
“To be honest, I didn’t feel like it was ready, but we made the call.”
The switch happened just as a dry line emerged, and despite his initial hesitation, the gamble ultimately paid off
“Tricky to survive that stint, and then from there the car was very fast,” the driver from New Zealand continued.
Ultimately, the Racing Bulls driver was able to navigate the drying track with control, jumping Tsunoda who stayed out a lap longer. He did lose out to Lewis Hamilton who boxed a lap before. 8th was the maximum on the day.
At a confident place with the car
After his third round of points finishes in the last six races, Lawson is finally at a place where the VCARB 02 feels comfortable, not only in terms of performance, but also in his confidence to score points.
“I think the results have come, and that’s great,” Lawson added. “I think the pace has been there for a while, honestly, but yeah, it’s nice to have a couple of results. We just need to keep it rolling.”
Looking ahead to Hungary, Lawson hopes to score more points before the summer break. After a challenging start to the season, the Kiwi is beginning to show better consistency — something Racing Bulls will be keen to build on during the second half of the season.
