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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tIt was another strong weekend for Liam Lawson in Azerbaijan. Image: XPB Images<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tIt was another strong weekend for Liam Lawson in Azerbaijan. Image: XPB Images<\/p>\n
The result marked a historic achievement for the New Zealander, eclipsing his previous best of sixth in Austria and becoming the highest finish by a Kiwi in F1 since Chris Amon came fifth at the 1976 Spanish Grand Prix.<\/p>\n
Despite being unable to challenge the faster cars ahead, Lawson\u2019s strong defensive driving and consistent pace in the closing laps allowed him to hold off the midfield pack, including Yuki Tsunoda, the driver who replaced him at Red Bull earlier this year.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe race felt rewarding, particularly after the last ten to fifteen laps, which was pretty intense,\u201d Lawson said.<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously it\u2019s a little disappointing from where we were starting, but realistically, we didn\u2019t have the speed to fight with the guys in front today, despite always being hopeful.<\/p>\n
The result also moved Lawson up to 13th in the drivers\u2019 championship, just one point behind Carlos Sainz and two behind Lance Stroll.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo have a P5 is big for us, especially in the championship right now,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve had a good car all weekend thanks to the team, so I\u2019m pleased to be coming home with points.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe gave it everything!\u201d<\/p>\n
With Isack Hadjar taking 10th to secure a double points finish, Racing Bulls overtook Aston Martin into sixth in the constructors\u2019 standings, with all four Red Bull drivers from both teams finishing in the points.<\/p>\n
Racing Bulls team principal Alan Permane praised the drivers\u2019 performances and the team\u2019s efforts throughout the weekend.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe race finishes off a great weekend for us here in Baku, which was strong for both our drivers,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was always going to be difficult to keep the quicker cars behind, but we finished with both cars in the points, putting us back to P6 in the Championship.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m really pleased for Liam; a career best for him with 5th place. He put together 20 perfect laps towards the end, keeping those cars behind him.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor Isack, starting 8th with two Ferraris behind him was always going to be tricky, but he finished very close to them in the end.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re going armed into Singapore with bags of confidence and we can really relish in the last third of the season.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hadjar also highlighted the team\u2019s resilience in overcoming technical issues and praised Lawson\u2019s drive.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had some hydraulic issues before the race start, but the boys did an amazing job to get everything fixed in time,\u201d the Frenchman said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI got off to a really good start, but unfortunately, I made the same costly mistake as yesterday and lost two places.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had great pace on the Hard tyre, but not so much on the Medium, so we\u2019ll need to do some research to understand why.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are still plenty of positives and learnings to take away from this weekend though; Liam drove a perfect race, and I\u2019m really happy for the team with a double points finish.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m looking forward to Singapore and feel confident that we can do well there.\u201d<\/p>\n