'Holy s***': Lawson continues as F1’s best-of-the-rest with points in Austin

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Author: Alex Powell,
Publish Date: Mon, 26 Oct 2026, 12:28pm

Liam Lawson at the US Grand Prix in Austin. Photo / AFP

As he continues to wait to learn if he’ll stay on the Formula One grid beyond this season, Liam Lawson has given Racing Bulls another reason to keep him exactly where he is in 2027.

The Kiwi has notched his 13th points finish of the season, this time by taking ninth at the US Grand Prix at Austin’s Circuit of the Americas.

On a track he describes as his favourite on the calendar, Lawson completed another professional race, getting through untroubled to bank another two points to his season tally, and boost Racing Bulls’ hopes of claiming fifth in the constructors championship.

Over the course of 56 laps, Lawson effectively spent his race in no-man’s land, too slow to challenge the cars in front of him while being too fast to come under any threat from drivers behind after Racing Bulls’ upgrade package paid off.

Regardless, getting home ninth – matching his result from the same race in 2024 – is nothing to balk at for Lawson, as he continues to build a resume as the “best of the rest” as the highest-scoring driver outside the top four teams.

“It was a bit of a boring one, but we like boring,” said Lawson’s race engineer, Alexandre Iliopoulos, at the chequered flag.

“But what a fast race car, man, holy s***, great job,” the Kiwi replied. “[It was] so good to drive. At the start of the race there was a little bit of understeer, and then just so good the whole way.”

The two points won sees Lawson remain ninth in the drivers championship, taking his season tally to 77 to sit 35 clear of his closest challenger. Most importantly, the result extends Racing Bulls’ advantage over Alpine in the constructors championship to 33 points, with an estimated $180 million in prize money available to the team that finishes fifth.

Liam Lawson at the US Grand Prix in Austin. Photo / AFP

And at a time where Racing Bulls remain the only team still to confirm its 2027 driver pairing, Lawson is giving his team no reason to think about making a change once the chequered flag is waved in Abu Dhabi.

At the front of the field, Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli’s wait to be crowned the youngest champion in Formula One history will drag on for another week at least, despite the 20-year-old taking his ninth victory of the season.

Needing to lead the championship by 125 points or more at the end of the weekend, Antonelli’s advantage is stuck at 123, after George Russell came home eighth to deny his Mercedes teammate, even if that equation shortens in Mexico next week.

While unlikely, Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton also kept himself in championship contention, by finishing fourth to sit 124 points back from Antonelli.

Hamilton’s Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc came home second, admittedly more than 16s back from Antonelli, while Red Bull’s Max Verstappen completed the podium in third to end his streak of race wins at two.

Meanwhile, Lawson’s teammate Arvid Lindblad couldn’t make up places having started 14th after an engine penalty, and dropped one spot to cross the finish line in 12th.

Formula One returns next week for the Mexican Grand Prix at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez for the second race of successive triple-headers to complete the 2026 season.

Starting in ninth as the best driver outside the top four teams, Lawson’s objective was – by his own admission – to hold position, rather than attempt to make up places.

And in a battle off the start line into turn one with the Alpine of Pierre Gasly, Lawson did exactly that, and got into his work from ninth, as a virtual safety car to clear debris off the track temporarily slowed all 22 drivers.

Liam Lawson's future beyond this season is still to be confirmed. Photo / Red Bull

At the start of lap three, Gasly had lost a place to Ollie Bearman – who was penalised for causing damage to the Frenchman’s car – to offer Lawson some respite, as the battle behind allowed the Kiwi to open up a gap of more than three seconds behind.

But on a circuit harsh on drivers’ front tyres, Lawson began to experience excessive wear, as the first round of pit stops loomed. Those stops saw Lawson climb as high as seventh, only to fall back to ninth when faster cars on fresher tyres caught him on track.

As Gasly pitted on lap 26, Lawson followed one lap later to protect the undercut, and emerged down in 12th on a set of hard tyres, and with the ability to go to the end of the race. By lap 29, Lawson climbed to 10th when Fernando Alonso stopped, and then back to ninth one lap later when Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg did the same

And with a gap of more than five seconds to Gasly by the time all the top 10 had completed their strategies, Lawson drove home untroubled for another points finish in a season which he continues to exceed expectations.

US Grand Prix finishing order

1. Kimi Antonelli - Mercedes

2. Charles Leclerc - Ferrari

3. Max Verstappen - Red Bull

4. Lewis Hamilton - Ferrari

5. Lando Norris - McLaren

6. Isack Hadjar - Red Bull

7. Oscar Piastri - McLaren

8. George Russell - Mercedes

9. Liam Lawson - Racing Bulls

10. Pierre Gasly - Alpine

11. Nico Hulkenberg - Audi