Liam Lawson has admitted he wishes he had fought harder against Oscar Piastri during a chaotic event at the Sepang International Circuit that saw him surge from P11 on the grid to briefly challenge Max Verstappen for third place.
The Racing Bulls driver eventually crossed the line seventh, salvaging a strong result from what had looked set to be a lowly ninth-place finish, after George Russell's late retirement behind the safety car and Lando Norris' tense near-miss with Piastri reshuffled the order in the closing laps.
The New Zealander's afternoon began with a stunning opening lap, catapulting him from P11 on the grid into contention with Verstappen for the final podium spot inside the first corner. Although that fight did not last, the 24-year-old's pace through the second stint kept him firmly in the mix as the race unfolded over its 55 laps.
Asked about his brilliant start, Lawson told media that he had not anticipated such an immediate opportunity. "Great start," the New Zealander said. "I didn't expect to be fighting Max in Turn 1 from where I was starting, but the car hooked up, and yeah, just very, very happy, very proud of the team."
Lawson continued, "All the right decisions today with tyre choices, as much as sometimes I doubted it, to be honest. But I think we had quite a good car as well. Especially that second stint was very strong for us." His afternoon also included a tussle with Piastri, whom he fought in Turn 1 before easing off the defence into Turn 4, a decision he later felt left points on the table.
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