News Summary
- Liam Lawson finished ninth at the United States Grand Prix, collecting two more championship points for Racing Bulls.
- The New Zealander believes ninth or tenth is the maximum realistic result when all eight cars from Formula 1’s leading four teams finish.
- Lawson now has 77 championship points, while Racing Bulls continues preparing for the Mexican Grand Prix and its 2027 driver decisions.
Liam Lawson believes Racing Bulls extracted the maximum possible result from the 2026 United States Grand Prix, despite finishing ninth and being unable to challenge the eight cars from Mercedes, Ferrari, Red Bull and McLaren. The New Zealander produced another points-scoring performance at Circuit of The Americas, reinforcing his position among Formula 1’s leading midfield drivers.
Lawson finished directly behind Mercedes driver George Russell and ahead of Alpine’s Pierre Gasly, collecting two points and raising his championship total to 77. However, the 24-year-old explained that Racing Bulls’ competitive position remains limited whenever the championship’s four strongest teams complete the race without serious problems.
Lawson explains why ninth was the best Racing Bulls could achieve
The United States Grand Prix offered an unusually clear illustration of the gap separating Formula 1’s leading teams from the midfield.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli won for Mercedes ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. Lewis Hamilton, Lando Norris, Isack Hadjar, Oscar Piastri and Russell completed the first eight positions.
That left Lawson as the highest-finishing driver outside the four leading teams.
Speaking to F1 TV after the race, Lawson acknowledged that Racing Bulls had little realistic opportunity to improve on ninth place.
“When everyone finishes, for us it’s a P9 or a P10. That’s sort of the best we can do,” he said.
The New Zealander nevertheless praised the execution of his race.
“We executed really well today. Had a great race. So couldn’t really do more. Overall it’s been a strong weekend.”
Lawson’s assessment was not an admission that Racing Bulls had failed. Instead, it reflected how competitive the leading teams had become relative to the rest of the grid.
A clean race, effective strategy and reliable machinery can be enough to secure midfield points, but cannot necessarily overcome a substantial difference in outright performance.
Racing Bulls upgrades deliver a useful result
The Austin weekend was important for Racing Bulls because the team had been working to improve its competitiveness through aerodynamic development.
Lawson’s ninth place suggested that the package remained capable of scoring points, although the result did not establish that Racing Bulls had closed the gap to the championship’s leading four teams.
The team’s approach also highlighted the value of consistency.
Lawson avoided the incidents and mistakes that can compromise a midfield race, managing his tyres and maintaining a position from which he could collect points if opportunities emerged.
That approach has become increasingly important during the second half of the season.
With the title contenders frequently occupying the first eight places, Racing Bulls cannot rely on fighting for podium positions under normal circumstances. Instead, its drivers must maximise the opportunities available immediately behind the leading group.
The United States Grand Prix represented another successful example of that strategy.
Lawson strengthens his position ahead of Racing Bulls’ 2027 decision
The result adds to Lawson’s increasingly important late-season record.
He has accumulated 77 points in the Drivers’ Championship, while rookie teammate Arvid Lindblad has 38.
However, those totals require an important distinction: Lawson scored 14 of his championship points during his spell with Red Bull earlier in the season.
His contribution specifically for Racing Bulls stands at 63 points, compared with Lindblad’s 38, making the intra-team comparison closer than the overall standings initially suggest.
The difference is still meaningful because both drivers remain central to the team’s plans for 2027.
As GRANDE PRÊMIO reported, Racing Bulls has been expected to retain Lawson and Lindblad, although the team’s final announcements must determine the line-up officially.
For Lawson, another points finish provides useful evidence of his ability to deliver in the midfield.
The New Zealander has not needed unusual circumstances or a dramatic strategy gamble to score points. His result in Austin came from completing the race cleanly and extracting the maximum available performance.
That consistency could become particularly valuable at the Mexican Grand Prix, where the circuit’s altitude imposes unusual demands on aerodynamics, cooling and power-unit operation.
Formula 1 returns to action in Mexico City from October 30 to November 1. For New Zealand fans, the Grand Prix starts at 09:00 NZDT on Monday, November 2.
GRANDE PRÊMIO is following Lawson, Racing Bulls and the build-up to the Mexican Grand Prix with breaking news, technical analysis and full coverage in its Formula 1 section.
