Lawson’s car ‘super strong’

Liam Lawson finished eighth at the Hungarian Grand Prix and helped his Visa Cash App Racing Bulls team jump ahead of rivals Alpine in the Formula 1 team standings.

The result was a welcome return to the top 10 for the New Zealander, who had missed out on picking up any points during the previous race in Belgium, where he finished 12th.

Lawson opted for a two-stop strategy at Hungaroring on July 27 and ended up the best of the midfield runners. 

His teammate, Arvid Lindblad, made one stop during the race and clinched 10th place, with the team’s double-points score pushing them into fifth place overall on 66 points. Alpine are five points behind in sixth.

Lawson says it was a “good race” for Racing Bulls and he was pleased with his own result after a challenging qualifying the day before. 

“Following a strong start, we knew we had a long race ahead, but the car just felt super strong throughout,” he adds. 

“A huge thanks to the team who made the right call on the two-stop strategy. To have two cars in the points is a great way to round off the first half of the season. 

“To be heading into summer break fifth in the constructors’ championship is a reflection of all the hard work the team has put in so far this year.

“While I’m looking forward to recharging over the next few weeks, I’m excited to carry this momentum forward into Zandvoort.”

The F1 season is now taking a four-week break before returning to action with the Dutch Grand Prix on August 24.

Lawson sits ninth in the drivers’ standings on 43 points. Isack Hadjar, of Red Bull, is ahead of him in eighth with 68 points, while Alpine’s Pierre Gasly is 10th on 42.

Lando Norris won the Hungarian Grand Prix, with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli taking second and third respectively.

Antonelli leads the championship on 219 points, followed by Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton with 169 and the second Mercedes driver, George Russell, on 160.