Liam Lawson reacts to intense Pierre Gasly battle as Racing Bulls leapfrog Haas in Montreal. Liam Lawson secures key Canadian GP points as Racing Bulls climb in constructors’ standings.

Liam Lawson holds off Pierre Gasly as Racing Bulls climb ahead of Haas in constructors’ standings

It was a bittersweet weekend for Racing Bulls in Montreal, but the Faenza-based team still leaves the Gilles Villeneuve Circuit with plenty of positives — and some understandable frustration.

Thanks primarily to Liam Lawson’s strong seventh-place finish in the Canadian Grand Prix, Racing Bulls managed to overtake Haas in the Formula 1 constructors’ standings, moving into sixth place behind Alpine.

Holding off the Alpine challenge

The New Zealand driver delivered an impressive performance, particularly in the closing stages of the race, where he successfully defended against repeated pressure from Pierre Gasly’s Alpine — just two weeks after the controversy surrounding their contact in Miami.

“After a difficult start to the weekend, finishing in seventh is definitely a good result for us, so it’s nice to bring home points for the team,” Liam Lawson said – “Overall, it wasn’t an easy race. We recovered ground from where we started, but we also struggled with the balance of the car and lacked a bit of pace throughout the race. The biggest challenge was keeping the tyres in the right temperature window, which we only really managed during the full-push laps. The Alpines were quicker than us today, and Pierre didn’t make life easy for me at the end of the race when I was on the soft tyres, so I’m happy I managed to defend my position.

“I’m looking forward to getting back racing in Monaco in a couple of weeks as we head into the European phase of the season.”

Lindblad denied a start

While Liam Lawson scored points in the Grand Prix, the same could not be said for his teammate Arvid Lindblad, who was unable to even take the start due to a clutch failure that struck at the beginning of the formation lap.

The issue occurred after the race start had already been delayed by one lap because of the late switch-off of the red lights, compounding the frustration for the young driver.

“We had a clutch issue at the start of the formation lap, which prevented me from taking part in the race,” Arvid Lindblad explained – “I was really excited to get out there and drive in mixed conditions, so not having the opportunity to do that is obviously disappointing. It’s a real shame because, up until that point, the weekend had been really positive. The team worked flawlessly all weekend, and the upgrades we brought were delivering very encouraging results, so it’s frustrating not to achieve the result we believed we deserved today.

“Still, there are many positives to take into the next race, and we feel very confident. I can’t wait to get back on track and drive a Formula 1 car in Monaco for the first time.”