Liam Lawson did not believe his first Formula 1 points finish was possible until late in the Singapore Grand Prix.
The AlphaTauri driver finished ninth at Marina Bay Street Circuit, scoring his team’s best result of the season to date in only his third start for them.Lawson finished one place higher than he started and ran as high as eighth at one state. However with Red Bull duo Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez closing, Lawson was unsure whether he would be able to hold onto his points finish.
He told media including RaceFans he reckoned a top 10 finish was on with “20 laps to go, before Max and the Red Bulls were coming back.”
“At that point I thought we had a chance, then I felt like it was slipping away again,” Lawson admitted.
His hopes rose with four laps remaining when two drivers running behind him, Perez and Alexander Albon, collided at turn 13. That caused the Williams driver to drop from 10th-place.
“I guess when Checo and Albon had their fight and Albon went back, that was when I felt a bit more comfortable like we could at least score P10,” said Lawson.
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Although Perez overtook Lawson for ninth in the closing laps, the rookie moved back up a position again when George Russell crashed from third place on the final tour.
“It was a bonus,” said Lawson, “I mean, not a bonus to see somebody crash out, for George, but for us obviously it means we get an extra point.”
He pulled off the result despite enduring another poor start, dropping two places to 12th on the opening lap. “For me, the starts I need to get on top of because it’s now two weekends in a row that I’ve botched the start and lost a couple of positions,” he admitted.
“So, it’s just making our life more difficult. That’s really the biggest loss of the race and that’s on my part.
“For the rest, I think we extracted everything out of the car. We didn’t quite have the race pace to be honest. We kind of felt going into the race it was going to be a little bit difficult, so I think we maximised.”
AlphaTauri have said Lawson will remain in the car until Daniel Ricciardo returns from injury. Lawson said he is “just trying to make the most of this opportunity, this window I have” in the meantime ahead of this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix.
“I’m trying to maximise every race, every session and finish as high as we can,” he said. “So today that was points which is great, we’ll try and do even more hopefully in the future if I get the chance to drive again.”
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d0senbrot (@d0senbrot)
18th September 2023, 9:36
A pleasing result to finish in the points at what could possibly be his last Grand Prix of the year.
Of the three races Liam Lawson has been in so far, two have been challenging even for experienced drivers. And for that he has done remarkably well. Minor mistakes at the starts aside. In fact, Tsunoda was the one who performed more like a rookie. Not finishing the last two races makes the comparison a bit difficult, because in terms of pure pace, Yuki looked better. But for coming in mid-season Lawson was close enough to a (once promising) talent in his third year. And he has shown a maturity that his teammate seemingly lacks.
I would be very surprised if Lawson is not a regular next season. The question is rather who is going to be alongside him.
Jere (@jerejj)
18th September 2023, 10:16
Spot-on, although Lawson will most certainly also drive in Suzuka.
Regarding next season, I’d also be surprised, albeit a Ricciardo-Lawson lineup is starting to look more & more likely, with Tsunoda possibly demoted to reserve driver role.
d0senbrot (@d0senbrot)
18th September 2023, 12:24
You’re right, they already confirmed him for the Japanese GP.
Nulla Pax (@nullapax)
18th September 2023, 9:47
I am so impressed with this guy.
Surely F1 isn’t going to let this obvious talent just sit on the sidelines while mediocre to poor drivers get to keep their seats?
osnola
18th September 2023, 10:52
That’s F1 I am afraid. Sometimes money is the differentiator and not talent. Look at a stroll or Sargent. Not bad drivers but not on the level you would expect.
I too hope for a decent drive for Lawson. He deserved it.
Williams next season?
MichaelN
18th September 2023, 16:54
Not just money, there’s also a huge overvaluation of experience in the eyes of many a team principal.
melanos
20th September 2023, 1:10
Merc alongside George?
Avro Anson (@avroanson)
18th September 2023, 9:56
Lawson is showing a maturity beyond his years – and certainly beyond Yuki’s. No profanity, no tantrums – an honest approach to driving and an honest appraisal of his own faults. I think we’re seeing a major talent here.
Jere (@jerejj)
18th September 2023, 10:18
He’s making his argument for a full-time drive more & more clear, & achieving his first points only further helps his case.
Edvaldo
18th September 2023, 13:26
He may very well beat Tsunoda already If given the opportunity.
And was one of the few drivers not to remove himself from Max’s way and at least race him a bit.
Mega job.
Le Jimster (@lejimster82)
18th September 2023, 14:34
Really glad Liam was able to score some points. His performances have improved race on race and this result has to have secured him a seat for next year. Hopefully the AT04 upgrades perform better at Suzuka and points are a possibility once again.