Lawson’s Monaco breakthrough sets stage for points push

Liam Lawson stepped into the Monaco Grand Prix weekend with measured expectations, but by Saturday evening his hopes had blossomed into something tangible.

The Racing Bulls driver, who has endured a challenging 2025 Formula 1 season, delivered a stellar performance in qualifying, securing P9 on the grid for Sunday’s race.

For the young Kiwi, this result marked a high point in a campaign that has tested his resilience, from a brief stint with Red Bull to a return to Racing Bulls where points have remained elusive.

But in Monaco, the stars are finally aligning, and Lawson’s P9 opens the door to a chance to break his points drought.

A Positive Weekend Taking Shape

“It’s definitely been a positive weekend so far,” he told the media on Saturday. “The car has been good. It was good yesterday [in practice], to be honest.

“I actually think we missed out a little bit on something higher.”

The 23-year-old’s confidence was buoyed by Racing Bulls’ strong showing across the weekend, with both he and teammate Isack Hadjar reaching Q3 – a rare feat for the team.

Hadjar’s P6, upgraded to P5 on Sunday’s grid following Lewis Hamilton’s three-place grid penalty, complemented Lawson’s performance, giving Racing Bulls drivers a golden opportunity to capitalize on their starting positions;

The team’s pace, evident from Friday’s practice sessions, was no fluke, and Lawson’s performance hinted at a turning point.

“We’d been improving all through the sessions,” he explained. “The start of quali was very positive, but I think towards the end we struggled a little bit with the warm-up, and I got a bit of traffic.

“Small things make a big difference. But it’s a positive, obviously, from where it’s been recently. It hasn’t come together at all through any of the weekends, so it’s a good start to the weekend.”

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Lawson’s comments underline the fine margins that often decide performance in Monaco, and how even a little misfortune can alter a driver’s fortunes.

He added insight into the complexities of racing in F1 and why his season has yet to produce points:

“In Formula 1, you need so many things to work together to have a result. There are a lot of variables in the sport, and I think it’s just been unfortunate for us so far,” he said.

“The speed has felt good through most of the weekends, I would say, and this weekend, we’ve managed to show at least some of it in quali.

“Hopefully, with the new rules, we can try and make something happen tomorrow.”

Crunching the Numbers and Looking Ahead

With new regulations mandating two pit stops for every driver at Monaco, the race promises a fresh layer of strategic complexity that could shake up the order. For Lawson, this creates an opportunity to break through and score his first points of the season.

When asked how he sees the race unfolding, he was candid about the unknowns.

“Truthfully, nobody knows,” he admitted. “It’s going to be new for all of us. It allows some more opportunities, so we’ll be trying to crunch the numbers and come up with something.

“With both cars together in Q3, there is the potential to do something different, maybe, but it’s something we’ll have to talk about.”

Lawson’s optimism is palpable after months of frustration, as the Racing Bulls team looks set to capitalize on their strong qualifying showing.

Starting ninth in Monaco, with the potential for strategic gambles and race-day chaos, opens a genuine pathway to finally earning the points that have eluded him so far.

For the Kiwi driver, the Monaco Grand Prix could well be the moment where persistence pays off.

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