Liam Lawson has finally closed the chapter on his collision with Racing Bulls teammate Arvid Lindblad at the Baku Grand Prix. The New Zealander insists he has moved on and is now fully focused on scoring points at this weekend's Malaysian Grand Prix.
The incident occurred at Turn 1 during the first Safety Car restart in Baku. Lawson, who was in a points-scoring position, was spun out of contention and suffered floor damage after contact with Lindblad. Lindblad went on to finish seventh, while Lawson could only recover to 12th. The stewards took no further action, determining that Lindblad was caught in restricted space due to a separate collision involving Franco Colapinto, Pierre Gasly, and Lando Norris just ahead.
Despite initial frustration, Lawson admitted he was calm once out of the car. "You always do stuff after a race or say stuff that sometimes can be a bit more emotional with the adrenaline you have driving these cars," he said. "But to be honest, I was okay after the race. I didn't feel too worked up about it. And again, it wasn't ideal and sucked for me. But it's not something that I really had any control over. So yeah, obviously I would just not like it to happen anymore."
From the team's perspective, Lindblad's seventh place still proved valuable. Racing Bulls extended their advantage over Alpine to 15 points in the battle for fifth in the constructors' championship after both Alpine cars retired. Lawson acknowledged the importance of those points. "From a team perspective, it's great that we were able to score points in a weekend that was looking like it was going to be very tough for us," he added. "And in terms of the incident, from my side there's not really a lot to discuss. I think it's more on Arvid's side with the team. So for me I'm just focused on now this weekend trying to be back in the points."
Attention now shifts to Sepang, Malaysia, which hosts Formula 1 for the first time since 2017. Lawson has fond memories there, having swept all three races in the 2018 Asian Formula 3 season. That experience gave him valuable insight, especially about the extreme weather conditions that can appear suddenly.
"I came here quite a few years ago for the last race of Asian F3 back in 2018," he recalled. "And I remember the thunderstorms, especially in the evenings, that were savage. It could obviously be a big factor here. Always can be. It would be very interesting with these cars as well. So let's see."
Even in dry conditions, Lawson expects Sepang to be a demanding test due to tyre degradation and the increased energy management requirements of the 2026 cars. "It's going to be interesting. I think it's going to be a challenge," he said. With his experience and determination, Lawson hopes to fight at the front again and secure valuable points for Racing Bulls.
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