Lawson scores first F1 points
Liam Lawson has maintained his impressive start to life in Formula 1 after claiming his first world championship points at the Singapore Grand Prix.
The Kiwi driver, making only his third start in the competition, finished ninth for the Scuderia AlphaTauri team at the Marina Bay Street Circuit on Monday, September 18 (NZ time).
The 21-year-old had qualified 10th on the starting grid and despite dropping a couple of places at the start of the race edged his way back up the field and claimed two championship points at the chequered flag. His performance makes him just the sixth New Zealander to score points in F1.
“I would’ve liked a few more Grands Prix to prepare for this one, but obviously, when you get the opportunity, you have to take it with both hands,” he says.
“Honestly, that’s what I’m trying to do, and today was fantastic. I’m happy with the race, and I definitely gave it everything because I think we maximised the car’s performance.
“I need to look at the start because it’s been two weekends in a row that I lost positions, so it makes our lives harder.
“We stayed out of trouble for the rest of the race and kept it clean. It’s hard when you’re struggling for pace, trying to maximise your tools and get everything out of it, so the race was physically demanding. At the end of the day, I’m really happy to have scored two points.”
Lawson was the only AlphaTauri driver to complete the 62-lap race, won by Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz Jr, after his team-mate Yuki Tsunoda suffered a punctured tyre following contact at the start of the race.
Jody Egginton, the team’s technical director, adds: “ Liam did a fantastic job of managing his tyres, making moves where possible and returning consistent lap times.
“He was defending against several cars and performed some strong moves to keep in the points and bring the car home for very well-deserved first F1 points.”
Lawson’s opportunity to compete at the top level of motorsport has come after Daniel Ricciardo broke his hand during practice at the Dutch Grand Prix last month.
The Kiwi stepped into the hotseat and finished 13th at Zandvoort and followed it up with 11th at the Italian Grand Prix.
It is likely Lawson will continue in the car at next weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka as Ricciardo continues his recovery.
