Sixth in Madrid also sees Lawson better the seventh he achieved in Zandvoort last month, in his third – and likely final – race deputising for the injured Isack Hadjar at Red Bull.
“From where we started, it was an OK race,” he said. “It would have been nice to qualify higher yesterday, that was a little bit frustrating on my behalf.
“I felt much more comfortable in the car. Overall I feel good. [There are] some things that are closer to my car that feel a bit nicer to drive now.
“To switch between cars now is not ideal, but now that I’ve spent a bit of time in this car, I’m a bit more comfortable.”
At the front of the grid, Kimi Antonelli benefitted from an early virtual safety car (VSC) to claim his eighth win of the season, and extend his lead at the top of the world championship to 81 points from teammate George Russell.
Polesitter Lando Norris was the unfortunate victim of that same VSC. Having been untroubled from lights out, the timing of the VSC saw Norris miss the pit window by a matter of seconds, and left the world champion powerless as drivers gained an effective free stop on a slowed track, to see him settle for third.
Lawson’s temporary teammate Max Verstappen came home second, and equalled his best result of a season in which he’s yet to claim the chequered flag.
Meanwhile, further back, Lawson’s fulltime teammate Arvid Lindblad came home ninth to claim two points for Racing Bulls’ challenge for fifth in the constructors championship – a challenge hurt by the Alpine of Franco Colapinto finishing seventh.
Racing Bulls’ lead in the race for fifth has been cut to just nine points from Alpine, after Lawson’s replacement at Racing Bulls, Yuki Tsunoda, came home 14th.
Formula One will now have a week off before returning for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku, where Lawson is expected to return to Racing Bulls once Hadjar is passed fit from a hairline fracture in his wrist suffered during the summer break.
Liam Lawson drives for Red Bull at the Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid. Photo / Red Bull
Starting eighth, and with the inside line into turn one as the lights went out, Lawson lost a place to Colapinto, but managed to get around the McLaren of Oscar Piastri to hold his position at the end of the first lap.
It wasn’t until Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari suffered brake failure and went too deep at turn 13 that Lawson moved up into seventh, as the fight to get around Colapinto continued.
It took until lap 10 for Lawson to win that battle, as the Kiwi braked late into turn five before accelerating out to complete the overtake.
On lap 14, that gap closed when Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll hit the barrier at turn 20 to trigger a virtual safety car. However, Red Bull’s decision to leave Lawson on track instead of stopping left the Kiwi at risk later in the race.
As racing resumed, Lawson found himself between the two McLarens, as Norris pulled further and further clear, while Piastri battled to catch the Red Bull after suffering front wing damage on the opening lap.
Russell pitting for a second time on lap 29 saw Lawson climb to fifth, as he began to overtake the backmarkers, including the Cadillac of Sergio Perez, who appeared to halt the Kiwi into turn one.
Lawson managed to hold Russell off for seven laps, before the Mercedes’ faster tyres told, as the Kiwi came under threat from Piastri, who managed to cut the gap to less than a second.
On lap 43, McLaren pitted Piastri in an attempt to undercut Lawson, only to emerge in 11th after a slower stop to adjust his damaged front wing.
As he stopped two laps later, that traffic between himself and Piastri worked in Lawson’s favour, as he emerged in seventh with Alpine’s Pierre Gasly ahead of him still yet to stop.
But Lawson didn’t even need that stop, as he overtook Gasly on lap 55 to come home sixth, having not finished outside the top 10 in any session over the course of the weekend.
Spanish Grand Prix finishing order
Kimi Antonelli – MercedesMax Verstappen – Red BullLando Norris – McLarenCharles Leclerc – FerrariGeorge Russell – MercedesLiam Lawson – Red BullFranco Colapinto – AlpineOscar Piastri – McLarenArvid Lindblad – Racing BullsNico Hulkenberg – AudiEsteban Ocon – HaasPierre Gasly – AlpineGabriel Bortoleto – AudiYuki Tsunoda – Racing BullsAlex Albon – WilliamsOllie Bearman – HaasFernando Alonso – Aston MartinValtteri Bottas – Cadillac
Did not finish: Carlos Sainz – Williams, Sergio Perez – Cadillac, Lance Stroll – Aston Martin, Lewis Hamilton – Ferrari
Alex Powell is a sports journalist for the NZ Herald. He has been a sports journalist since 2016.