Formula 1: Liam Lawson puts himself back into Red Bull contention with Austrian Grand Prix finish

NZ Herald

a day ago

And at a time where Red Bull are still to finalise driver plans for next season, Lawson will hope to be peaking at the right time to secure his future.
Here's what we learned in Spielberg:
Best of the Bulls
It's hard to believe that in less than two years, Red Bull have gone from an all-conquering force, to scrapping for third in the constructors championship. This weekend, zero points from two cars sees them fall 47 points behind Mercedes.
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen was taken out on lap one after an incident that also saw Lawson hit by Kimi Antonelli in the Mercedes. Red Bull driver Yuki Tsunoda's fate was even worse, and he finished last on track in a car expected to compete for a championship.
Liam Lawson, Isack Hadjar, Max Verstappen and Yuki Tsunoda. Photo / Red Bull
While Red Bull won't net any points from Lawson's result, the team can at least bank on the fact one of their cars performed.
From qualifying onwards, Lawson was the best Red Bull had to offer. Racing Bulls teammate Isack Hadjar, who has for the most part outperformed Lawson this year, could only manage 12th, and fell out of the points on old tyres.
Lawson's efforts won't go unnoticed in Austria, where the organisation was founded. Now he needs to capitalise, starting at Silverstone next weekend.
It's not the driver
If it wasn't clear already, Red Bull's decision to swap Lawson for Tsunoda earlier this season hasn't gone to plan.
Lawson's eight points won in Austria see him leapfrog his former junior teammate in the drivers championship. Unfortunately for Tsunoda, that's probably not going to change any time soon.
It's now been four races since Tsunoda has scored a point, as Red Bull drop further down the constructors championship.
Red Bull have made this bed, and they're going to have to lie in it. The RB21 is so far tailored to Verstappen that any other driver just cannot cope with its nuances.
Next year, though, with new regulations, it's hoped Red Bull can fix the clear issues they have with their car.
Yuki Tsunoda has struggled in the Red Bull car since taking over from Liam Lawson. Photo / Red Bull
But with Tsunoda looking more likely to leave when Honda and Red Bull part ways, the rest of this year is looking like a shootout for who will be promoted into the senior team.
Hadjar might still be out in front, given his incredible season so far, but Lawson's efforts in Spielberg have shown he will be in the conversation come 2026.
Hadjar falters?
It had to happen eventually, but Lawson getting one over his teammate was something the Kiwi definitely needed.
Across the five sessions this weekend – three practices, qualifying and the Grand Prix - Lawson claimed honours in four of them. In fact, Hadjar's only victory was finishing 0.079s faster than Lawson in the opening practice on Friday.
Hadjar has been the standout rookie so far in 2025, that's not up for debate. But this now makes it two races in a row (he finished 16th in Canada) where he hasn't hit the heights he's been touted for.
Despite the results of this year, Lawson is widely understood to be the leader at Racing Bulls. His experience does see him held as the one to have taken on more responsibility in developing the car, as well as mentor his younger teammate.
And as he gets more confidence behind the wheel of this Racing Bulls car, Lawson needs to make sure Hadjar stays in his mirrors.
One-stop redemption
All through this season, it's felt like Lawson has largely been held back by Racing Bull's strategy.
Whether it was gambling for rain in Japan, being undercut in Saudi Arabia, or having to do his bit for the team in Monaco, there had yet to be a strategy that really got the best out of Lawson.
So when Racing Bulls made the call for the Kiwi to complete Austria on a one-stop strategy, Lawson would have been within his rights to be apprehensive. The team attempted the same ploy in Canada two weeks ago, but couldn't make it work on a hot track.
Liam Lawson at the Austrian Grand Prix. Photo / Red Bull
In Austria, the track temperature again touched 50C, meaning any kind of aggressive intent would result in more tyre wear, and leave Lawson with more to do at the end of the race.
But having failed to finish in Canada with an engine issue, Racing Bulls made the one-stop work – one of just two cars to do so. Lawson got through 33 laps on his first set of tyres, and 37 on the second.
What's more, he played his part to perfection after his only stop, and was able to wait for the cars in front of him to pit when their tyres gave out.
'It's always Fernando'
When Fernando Alonso made his Formula One debut in 2001, Lawson wasn't even born.
And yet, the two have forged arguably one of the best rivalries, outside of the title contenders.
In 2024, Lawson got the better of Alonso in the Austin sprint race, but was forced to get his just deserts in Miami this year – when he was judged to have illegally taken out the 43-year-old, and was stripped of a seventh-placed finish.
Liam Lawson leads Fernando Alonso, of Aston Martin, at the Austrian Grand Prix. Photo / Red Bull
So, when the early safety car ended with Alonso right behind Lawson, the stage was set for another chapter in the rivalry. And while the two have largely shared bragging rights, there's no doubt that round three goes to Lawson.
For the remainder of the Austrian Grand Prix, Lawson held off a two-time world champion, and even saw Alonso forced to give up the chase at the end to keep hold of seventh from Gabriel Bortoleto.
'It's always Fernando who's behind,' Lawson jokingly told Sky Sports UK post-race. 'I think he was within DRS for 71 laps today.'
Lawson has always been an excellent aggressive driver, but seeing him get results by having to defend – from one of the greatest to ever do it – is all the proof you need that he's approaching his best.
Long may it continue.
Alex Powell is a sports journalist for the NZ Herald. He has been a sports journalist since 2016.