Liam Lawson secured his fifth consecutive points finish at the 2026 Brazilian Grand Prix, moving up to seventh place after Charles Leclerc received a post-race time penalty. The Racing Bulls driver enjoyed an impressive weekend at Interlagos, qualifying a career-best third in difficult wet conditions before adding another valuable result to his Formula 1 campaign.
The performance comes at an important moment for the New Zealander, whose future in Formula 1 remains uncertain. Questions persist over whether Lawson will retain his Racing Bulls seat for 2027 or whether Nikola Tsolov could replace him at the Faenza-based team. His latest qualifying and race performances have nevertheless strengthened his case for remaining on the grid.
Liam Lawson extends F1 points streak with seventh place in Brazil
Lawson’s Brazilian Grand Prix weekend began with an outstanding qualifying performance on Saturday. In the heavy rain at São Paulo, the Racing Bulls driver surprised his rivals by securing third place, his highest qualifying position since entering Formula 1.
Maintaining that position throughout the race proved more difficult, particularly as the stronger teams demonstrated their advantage over a full race distance. However, Lawson remained competitive and initially crossed the finish line in eighth place before being promoted to seventh following a five-second penalty for Charles Leclerc.
The penalty followed a late collision between Charles Leclerc and Liam Lawson at Interlagos. The Ferrari driver had initially finished ahead, but the stewards’ decision reversed their positions in the final classification.
Reflecting on his performance, Lawson expressed satisfaction with the team’s ability to extract the maximum from the available package, particularly during the opening stages of the race.
“It was a really positive day for us,” the New Zealander commented. “We had a good race, making the most of everything we had available. I had really good grip on the first lap, which allowed me to fight with the top teams. However, over a race distance, we still don’t have the pace needed to compete with them, so I focused on not losing too much ground.”
Lawson also reflected positively on the recent run of three races, during which he continued to demonstrate his competitiveness and collect valuable championship points.
“It’s been a really positive triple-header, and I’m taking away a lot of encouraging things from it. I really enjoyed myself. Now I’ll take a few days to relax and recharge ahead of the final races of the season. I can’t wait to get back to Las Vegas.”
Arvid Lindblad narrowly misses points after recovering from 18th
On the other side of the Racing Bulls garage, Arvid Lindblad also delivered an encouraging performance, although he narrowly missed out on a points finish. The British driver crossed the line in 11th place after starting 18th following a grid penalty for replacing certain car components.
In challenging track conditions, Lindblad made significant progress through the field and appeared capable of securing a top-ten finish for much of the afternoon. However, difficulties during the final 20 laps prevented him from completing the recovery.
“It was an enjoyable race, and I had a lot of fun coming through from the back of the grid. It’s a shame not to have scored points, especially after showing good pace and genuinely feeling that we could finish in the points for much of the race.”
The Racing Bulls driver explained that his situation became increasingly complicated towards the end, particularly during his battle with Franco Colapinto and as the wet conditions affected his car’s handling.
“Unfortunately, things became more difficult in the last 20 laps. I lost quite a lot of time battling with Colapinto, and I experienced handling problems in the wet towards the end. That made it particularly difficult to defend against Hülkenberg, because I was already concentrating on keeping the car on the track.”
Despite the disappointment, Lindblad believes he has made meaningful progress in his driving throughout the recent races. He intends to review the weekend with Racing Bulls before turning his attention to Las Vegas.
“We’ll analyse everything with the team to understand what we could have done better. It’s not how I wanted to finish this triple-header. I feel I’ve made positive steps forward in my driving style, but things haven’t always gone as we hoped. We’ll take what we’ve learned this weekend, reset our perspective and focus on the next round in Las Vegas.”
Racing Bulls pulls further ahead of Alpine in F1 constructors’ standings
Although Lindblad missed out on the top ten, the Brazilian Grand Prix still represented a positive outcome for Racing Bulls in the Constructors’ Championship. Lawson’s seventh-place finish delivered another useful points haul, allowing the team to strengthen its position in fifth place.
Alpine, meanwhile, endured another difficult race, with neither driver scoring points. That result enabled Racing Bulls to extend its advantage over its rival as the season approaches its final races.
For Lawson, the result also continued a run of five consecutive points finishes at a time when his Formula 1 future remains unresolved. With Las Vegas approaching, he will be looking to maintain the momentum established at Interlagos while Racing Bulls seeks to consolidate fifth place in the 2026 Formula 1 championship standings.
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