Formula 1: Liam Lawson praised by team after career-best finish in Austrian Grand Prix
'You deserve it Liam.'
Liam Lawson and Laurent Mekies. Photo / Red Bull
Racing Bulls team principal Laurent Mekies said Lawson's result shows he's found his feet, after being dropped by Red Bull to the junior team after two races this season.
'It's never easy to start in a new team midseason, and he needed time to get used to our car,' said Mekies.
'He demonstrated again his speed on this short yet challenging circuit, where a fraction of a second can significantly make the difference on the standings. The race was an incredible fight on a burning hot track.
'It did not look very bright after the first lap when both our cars were involved in incidents and lost many positions. The pace and the race execution were brilliant, Liam was unstoppable and defended for 70 laps to Fernando [Alonso].'
Lawson's previous best finish in Formula 1 was his eighth place in Monaco three races ago.
For finishing sixth, Lawson claimed eight championship points and he now sits 15th on the drivers standings with 12 points.
That sees him still nine points behind Racing Bulls teammate Hadjar, but two clear of Tsunoda, who replaced Lawson at Red Bull after two races.
In the constructors championship, Racing Bulls now jump to sixth on 22 points.
After starting sixth, Lawson thought his hopes of a points finish were over after narrowly missing the Antonelli-Verstappen crash.
Liam Lawson drives at the Austrian Grand Prix. Photo / Red Bull
But he was quick to credit the team's strategy for getting him home.
'It was a great weekend, and it feels good to execute everything well,' said Lawson.
'After the first lap, I thought it might be over, but the team made a brave call with the one-stop strategy, it worked out perfectly.
'The car was really fast all weekend, we're constantly pushing and making small adjustments to make it more comfortable.
'The goal now is to carry this momentum through the rest of the season. We need to take the positives, keep fighting, and keep scoring points.'
The Formula One season continues next weekend with the British Grand Prix at Silverstone.
Ben Francis is an Auckland-based reporter for the New Zealand Herald who covers breaking sports news.
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