Formula 1 result: Liam Lawson takes eighth-place at Belgian Grand Prix, comprehensively beats Racing Bulls teammate
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1News
2 hours ago
- 1News
Formula 1: Piastri beats Norris in Belgium, Lawson in the points
Oscar Piastri had to wait, and wait some more. Then he made his move. Piastri beat his McLaren teammate and title rival Lando Norris to win Formula 1's Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday after heavy rain delayed the start. Piastri powered past his teammate and title rival Norris on the first racing lap after the safety car pulled into the pits on lap four, following a delay to the start of more than an hour. "I knew I was going to try and lift [off the accelerator] a little bit less than Lando did and try to make it stick," said Piastri, admitting his car felt "lively" as he took on the extra risk through the steeply uphill Eau Rouge corner. Norris suggested over the radio he was having issues with the battery providing his electric power. McLaren chief executive Zak Brown told broadcaster Sky Sports that there was "a small battery issue which we've got to look at". ADVERTISEMENT Norris reduced Piastri's lead toward the end of the race but the Australian held on with worn tires and Norris couldn't get close enough to challenge. Charles Leclerc was third for Ferrari after he kept Red Bull's Max Verstappen behind him all race. New Zealand's Liam Lawson was eighth for Racing Bulls, earning himself four more competition points. He started ninth. Title battle The morning's headlines in 90 seconds, including wintry blast on the way, Gloriavale leader in court, and Liam Lawson picks up points. (Source: Breakfast) ADVERTISEMENT Piastri extended his championship lead over Norris from nine points to 16 and denied his British teammate a third Grand Prix win in a row. It was the second straight day that Piastri held off Norris after taking second place ahead of his teammate in Saturday's sprint, won by Max Verstappen. Except for the weather, Piastri's overtake of Norris was almost a copy of Verstappen's opening-lap pass on the Australian from second on the grid in the sprint. Piastri had been disappointed to qualify second for the Grand Prix behind Norris, but it "turns out starting second at Spa is not so bad after all," he said. Piastri took his sixth win of the season and is the first McLaren driver to win the Belgian Grand Prix since Jenson Button in 2012. Lewis Hamilton and Liam Lawson race in Belgium (Source: Getty) Hamilton's surge to seventh ADVERTISEMENT Unlike the thrilling and chaotic last race in Britain, there was no significant rain after the race finally got underway and Sunday's race was largely a procession after a few early attacks on the still-wet track. Most key contenders switched to dry tires at roughly the same time and didn't have to stop again. In Red Bull's first Grand Prix since the firing of Christian Horner as team principal, Verstappen failed with an attempt to get past Leclerc at the start and spent the rest of the race behind the Ferrari driver on his way to fourth. George Russell was fifth for Mercedes after an early pass on Alex Albon, who finished sixth for Williams after holding off Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton, who was seventh. The seven-time champion started 18th and Hamilton carved his way through the field on the wet track early on but then lost momentum. Sauber's Gabriel Bortoleto was ninth and Pierre Gasly 10th for Alpine.
1News
2 hours ago
- 1News
Racing Bulls boss hails Lawson's 'near-perfect race' in Belgium
Liam Lawson's eighth place finish in the Belgian Grand Prix received a glowing review from his new boss. 'Liam had a near-perfect race,' said Racing Bulls team principal Alan Permane. 'He was strong and able to comfortably pull away from [Kick Sauber's] Bortoleto behind and was very happy with the car overall.' Wet conditions at Spa-Francorchamps saw drivers begin the race behind a safety car, with the 23-year-old starting at ninth on the grid behind teammate Isack Hadjar. Lawson overtook his fellow Racing Bulls driver on lap 12, allowing him to swap from wet to dry tyres a lap earlier than Hadjar. ADVERTISEMENT 'It's always tricky when you cross over to a dry tyre when it's damp, but the car was fast and in clean air we had great pace,' said Lawson. 'Often in those conditions you just want to survive, so I'm very happy for the team and how everything came together.' Lawson successfully pulled off a one-pit stop strategy on his way to securing points. The morning's headlines in 90 seconds, including wintry blast on the way, Gloriavale leader in court, and Liam Lawson picks up points. (Source: Breakfast) His teammate Hadjar dropped to the bottom of the pack after technical issues forced a lack of pace and a second pit stop. McLaren topped the table with Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris taking out first and second respectively. Lawson achieved his third points finish of the 2025 season and plans to keep his foot on the gas at next week's race in Hungary, ahead of a month-long break. ADVERTISEMENT 'Now we need to keep the momentum rolling forward and make sure we enter the summer break on a high,' said Lawson. Permane also expressed optimism about the upcoming race. 'It'll be much hotter, and we've got different tyres, but we expect our car to perform well there,' he said.
RNZ News
8 hours ago
- RNZ News
F1: Liam Lawson had 'near-perfect race' - Racing Bulls boss Alan Permane
Liam Lawson during the Belgium Grand Prix, 2025. Photo: ANTONIN VINCENT / AFP Liam Lawson is back in the points with a drive that impressed his new team principal. Lawson finished eighth in the Belgian Grand Prix to pick up points for the third time this season. The 23-year-old started ninth on the grid in a race that began behind a safety car because of rain at Spa-Francorchamps. He was able to overtake Racing Bulls team-mate Isack Hadjar on lap 12 and got priority in the pits to change tyres as the track dried. "Liam had a near-perfect race," said Racing Bulls boss Alan Permane. "He managed his tyres exceptionally well, both on the intermediates and on the dry tyres. "He was strong and able to comfortably pull away from [Kick Sauber driver] Bortoleto behind and was very happy with the car overall." Lawson is now 14th in the Drivers' Championship with 16 points. "I really enjoyed today," he said afterwards. "Often in those conditions you just want to survive, so I'm very happy for the team and how everything came together. "It's always tricky when you cross over to a dry tyre when it's damp, but the car was fast and in clean air we had great pace." New Zealand driver Liam Lawson of Racing Bulls. Photo: FLORENT GOODEN / PHOTOSPORT Oscar Piastri beat McLaren teammate Lando Norris to win his sixth race of the season and extend his lead in the Drivers' Championship to 16 points. The Hungarian Grand Prix is next weekend before a four-week break. Racing Bulls remains seventh in the Constructors' Championship, but are now just two points behind Kick Sauber and five ahead of Aston Martin. Permane, who took over from Laurent Mekies after he was promoted to Red Bull, admits they don't have much time to prepare for round 14. "There are only a few days to reflect on this race as we're quickly onto Budapest with a very different track and a very different downforce level," Permane said. "It'll be much hotter and we've got different tyres, but we expect our car to perform well there, and we will have our usual target of getting both our cars into Q3 and in the points." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
