Liam Lawson in the points in Austria

It’s a sensation he had already experienced earlier in the season. Eighth in Monaco, he scored the first four points of his young F1 career, feeling that delightful sense of satisfaction. Today, in Austria, it’s happening again! But this time, his performance is even more remarkable, enough to make him arrive at the interview zone with a grin from ear to ear. He doesn’t hesitate to slip away between two questions to hug members of his team. The three men, happy, celebrate this small victory as if a weight has been lifted from their shoulders.

“It’s an excellent day today, with points, so definitely an excellent weekend. I am very proud of the team that did an incredible job this weekend. And especially lately, in the last two races. I am very proud, the day has been tough,” he says.

And yes! The 70 race laps were not a smooth ride and the day could have taken a completely different turn. As early as the second lap, the New Zealand driver almost got involved in the accident between Kimi Antonelli and Max Verstappen.

I feel like I was in the middle of that incident [when Kimi hit Max]. I don’t know how I survived. I saw Kimi coming in way too fast. It’s as if he touched me, but by some miracle, I didn’t have any damage to my car.

Without damage and with an encouraging pace, he managed to keep Fernando Alonso at bay and maintain that 6th place, from which he started the race. “What made the difference was having a trouble-free qualification. The pace was there in Free Practice during the last Grand Prix, but it disappeared in qualifications,” he explains. It was, moreover, only the second time Lawson outpaced his teammate, Isack Hadjar, this season. Today, he delivered a race that lived up to his expectations, and even more, as he is the best Red Bull driver at this meeting. A performance that allows him to regain confidence in himself.

« Sometimes, you can have all the confidence and speed in the world, but they don’t materialize – and that’s what I felt this year. That’s why it’s great to finally get a result, but we need to keep going in this direction. » To keep up the momentum, he won’t have to wait long. F1 is back as soon as next week at Silverstone.