Liam Lawson rose to seventh after running as high as fourth in Malaysia
NXTbets Pro | Published On: October 4, 2026
Lawson finished seventh
Liam Lawson turned a tough start into a strong finish in the Malaysian Grand Prix, climbing as high as fourth before he came home seventh after briefly passing Oscar Piastri and then losing the spot again. He started 11th and worked through a race that changed shape after a long delay and a restart, then settled into the lead group as the track dried and the strategies split.
Lawson said the result looked far better than what he expected when the race first developed. He thought the afternoon might only be good for ninth, but late luck helped him gain ground and Racing Bulls gave him the tools to make the most of it. The team’s strategy, tire choices, second stint and race pace all played a part in the run to seventh.
The finish mattered because it came from deep in the order. Lawson had no clear path to the front at the start, but he kept moving forward and kept the pressure on the cars ahead. He spent time in the thick of the lead pack, saw fourth place briefly come into view and then managed the race well enough to protect a points finish when the order settled.
Lawson qualified 11th
Lawson’s charge began after a difficult qualifying session at Sepang, where he took 11th after a late drop in pace. That left him outside Q3 for the fourth time in the last six races and forced him to chase the race from the middle of the field in the Malaysian Grand Prix.
He made an aggressive early move and battled wheel-to-wheel with Max Verstappen in Turn 1, trying to grab track position before the race fully sorted itself out. Verstappen started from pole position in Malaysia but made a slow start, and Lawson was able to stay in the fight long enough to keep himself in the mix as the opening phase unfolded.
The race then moved into a more tactical rhythm. The track dried, the strategy game tightened and Lawson found himself in a running battle with Piastri. That gave him the chance to show pace, but it also meant every position came with a fight. He pushed high up the order early, then had to keep working once the front-runners adjusted to the changing conditions.
Racing Bulls scored twice
Racing Bulls left Malaysia with a double points finish, and that changed the shape of the weekend for the team. Arvid Lindblad recovered from last on the grid to finish 10th, giving the outfit two cars in the points and strengthening the value of Lawson’s seventh-place run.
The combined result put Racing Bulls 22 points clear of Alpine in fifth place in the constructors’ standings. That gap gives the team a cleaner cushion in the battle for position, with both drivers contributing on the same day and turning a difficult-looking race into a productive one.
Lawson’s part in it stood out because of how much ground he covered in a single race. He started outside the points, fought through the early traffic, ran with the leaders and held on when the race demanded timing and tire management. Lindblad’s recovery added to the payoff and turned the Malaysian Grand Prix into a strong points day for Racing Bulls from start to finish.
