History made<\/p>\n
This needs to be taken with a huge grain of salt, but Lawson\u2019s points in Madrid take his season tally to 59, clear of the 51 that Denny Hulme finished with in 1967, to set a new record for the most scored by a Kiwi in a single season.<\/p>\n
Liam Lawson leads Arvid Lindblad and Oscar Piastri at Formula One’s Spanish Grand Prix. Photo \/ Red Bull<\/p>\n
Considering the modern 25-18-16-12-10-8-6-4-2-1 scoring system is much more generous than the 9-6-4-3-2-1 one Hulme won the world championship with. Bruce McLaren\u2019s best campaign saw him net 37 points in 1960, Chris Amon\u2019s was 23 in 1970. <\/p>\n
When adjusted, Hulme would have finished that same season with 161 points. McLaren and Amon would have managed 121 and 93 points respectively. You can do anything with stats, though, right?<\/p>\n
While Lawson\u2019s numbers do need to be put into context, his work in this campaign should be celebrated sooner rather than later.<\/p>\n
After hitting the lowest of lows to start last season, Lawson has rebuilt his career \u2013 and come out the side as a better driver \u2013 in a way that few of his contemporaries would have been able to.<\/p>\n
For Kiwi fans, who\u2019ve had to wait a long time for a driver who can score points regularly, Lawson\u2019s performances this season have been welcomed on so many occasions, even if we\u2019re still waiting for a podium finish.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s hoping this is just the beginning.<\/p>\n
No place like home<\/p>\n
Barring another setback for Isack Hadjar<\/a>, Madrid marked what should be Lawson\u2019s final race as an injury replacement at Red Bull.<\/p>\n Two points finishes from three attempts \u2013 with the third ruined by a broken front wing<\/a> \u2013 represent a more than solid haul from Lawson, who stepped back into the Red Bull garage with the scars of 2025 hanging over him.<\/p>\n Seventh at Zandvoort<\/a> and sixth in Madrid are exceptional returns for a driver stepping into a new car, and new team, midway through the season.<\/p>\n The reality now, though, is Lawson must go back to Racing Bulls and resume the battle for fifth in the constructors championship.<\/p>\n For all his individual success, Lawson has seen Alpine outscore Racing Bulls 16-7 during his time away, with the hold on fifth only there after Pierre Gasly was stripped of his Monaco podium.<\/p>\n With nine confirmed races left this season, considering events can be added and removed from the calendar while Donald Trump\u2019s war in the Middle East rages on, there is still plenty of time for both teams to improve.<\/p>\n However, after battling with effectively one driver for the last three races \u2013 with all due respect to Yuki Tsunoda \u2013 Lawson can\u2019t be back at Racing Bulls soon enough.<\/p>\n Tsolov\u2019s folly<\/p>\n If reports are to be believed, Lawson is currently locked in a battle with Formula Two starlet Nikola Tsolov<\/a> for a place on next year\u2019s grid. Should that be the case, this weekend was one the Bulgarian teenager will want to forget. <\/p>\n Having been secure in his position as Formula Two\u2019s championship leader, Tsolov\u2019s lead at the top of the standings has been cut to just seven points from Ferrari junior Rafael Camara.<\/p>\n More than just numbers, though, it\u2019s what happened on track that should have Tsolov\u2019s camp very concerned.<\/p>\n In Formula Two\u2019s sprint race on Saturday night (NZT), the 19-year-old wasted a golden chance to impress Red Bull\u2019s decision-makers.<\/p>\n Starting fourth on the grid, Tsolov lost a place to Campos teammate Noel Leon, and went about committing the cardinal sin of motorsport. <\/p>\n With Leon struggling for pace, Tsolov tried his luck attacking his teammate into turn five, and even asked over team radio to be given preferential treatment. While Tsolov did manage to complete an overtake on lap 14, he left the track to do so, and was ordered to give the place back.<\/p>\n Next came the ultimate embarrassment, as Tsolov hit the wall at turn 20, and ended his race without any points. To make matters worse, Tsolov also went pointless in Sunday\u2019s feature race. <\/p>\n While events like these do happen, seeing it from a driver who\u2019ll be fighting to reach Formula One is not a good sign. With championship battles deciding how much prize money teams earn, crossing the line in one piece is a must, not fighting your teammate is just as important.<\/p>\n If we\u2019ve learned anything from Madrid, it\u2019s that 2027 might just be too soon for Tsolov to step up, if this is how he\u2019s going to act when things don\u2019t go his way.<\/p>\n Sources have told the Herald that Tsolov will likely spend a season as a Racing Bulls reserve driver, or potentially in Japanese Super Formula the same way Lawson and Pierre Gasly did before him.<\/p>\n Being able to develop away from the spotlight of Formula One might just be the best thing for him, at this stage.<\/p>\n From the horse\u2019s mouth<\/p>\n During the weekend, Racing Bulls team boss Alan Permane was quizzed by journalists about the brewing situation with his 2027 driver lineup. <\/p>\n Naturally, as has been the case all season so far, Permane kept his cards very close to his chest. <\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s a bit early for us, honestly,\u201d he said. \u201cWe traditionally wait a little bit longer, we\u2019re under no pressure to announce what we\u2019re doing yet next year,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cNikola, of course, features in our thoughts, and he\u2019s having an incredible season. First season in F2, leading the championship. He\u2019s got everything going for him.<\/p>\n \u201cHaving said that, I\u2019ve got two fantastic drivers in Liam and Arvid as well, so it\u2019s a nice problem to have.\u201d<\/p>\n The past two years have seen Racing Bulls\u2019 driver lineups confirmed towards the end of the season. <\/p>\n And while sources have told the Herald the decision will really be made by Oliver Mintzlaff, Red Bull\u2019s global managing director, you\u2019d think the team would want to lock something in to at least give its junior side some stability; for now, all we can do is wait.<\/p>\n Back to Baku<\/p>\n With a week off in between, Formula One\u2019s next stop is the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku.<\/p>\n For Lawson, a return to the shores of the Caspian Sea will be welcome. As well as achieving his career-best result there last year \u2013 qualifying third<\/a> before finishing fifth in a Racing Bulls<\/a> \u2013 Lawson\u2019s record in Baku as a junior is immaculate.<\/p>\n In 2021, he claimed his maiden Formula Two pole there, before taking a podium there a year later. <\/p>\n This year, he\u2019ll arrive there with the confidence of a driver who\u2019s comfortably ninth in the drivers championship, and in a better car than the one he impressed with in 2025.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s hoping for more of the same this time around.<\/p>\nLiam Lawson in practice for the Monaco Grand Prix. Photo \/ Red Bull<\/p>\n
Liam Lawson and Nikola Tsolov. Photos \/ Red Bull; Getty Images<\/p>\n
Liam Lawson leads Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Photo \/ Red Bull<\/p>\n