Lawson Holds Off Gasly Pressure to Match Season-Best Result

Liam Lawson admitted he was relieved to secure seventh place at the 2026 Canadian Grand Prix after coming under intense late-race pressure from Pierre Gasly. The Racing Bulls driver successfully defended his position despite struggling with tyre degradation during the closing stages of the race.

Lawson started the grand prix outside the top ten but steadily worked his way forward through a combination of effective strategy execution and solid race management. As several rivals encountered technical issues and strategic setbacks, the New Zealander placed himself firmly in contention for a valuable points finish.

The biggest challenge came during the final stint. Lawson was attempting to reach the chequered flag on an ageing set of soft tyres, while Gasly, driving for Alpine, benefited from the harder compound after both drivers made their pit stops on the same lap. The tyre difference gave Gasly a clear pace advantage over the closing laps.

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"He was definitely giving me a hard time in the race. Honestly, he was a lot quicker than us at that point. The Alpines had really good race pace," Lawson told media, as quoted by RacingNews365.

Despite the sustained pressure, Lawson managed to hold his position until the finish line. The seventh-place result matched his best finish of the season and represented one of Racing Bulls' strongest performances during the opening phase of the highly competitive 2026 campaign.

From a technical perspective, Lawson acknowledged that the team still has areas to analyse regarding tyre strategy. He suggested that the hard compound may have offered a more stable solution than the soft tyres used during the final phase of the race. Nevertheless, considering the overall circumstances of the weekend, he regarded the outcome as a highly positive result.

Racing Bulls also faced an additional challenge as Lawson became the team's sole representative in the grand prix. Team-mate Arvid Lindblad was unable to start the race after encountering a problem during the formation lap, leaving Lawson responsible for carrying the team's hopes of scoring points.

"It's a shame what happened to Arvid. I don't know exactly what happened yet. But at least we managed to bring home some points for the team," Lawson said.

The Montreal result provides an important boost for Racing Bulls as the midfield battle continues to tighten. With teams such as Alpine, Williams and Haas regularly challenging for points, Lawson's ability to maximise opportunities is becoming increasingly valuable. For the 24-year-old driver, seventh place also underlined his growing consistency and his ability to convert competitive performances into meaningful championship points during a crucial stage of the season.