Liam Lawson of Racing Bulls Photo: JAKUB PORZYCKI / AFP
Mixed emotions for Liam Lawson on a memorable day in Baku.
The 23-year-old New Zealand driver recorded his best-ever result in Formula 1, with fifth place in Azerbaijan bettering by one his result in Austria in June.
Lawson stunned many by qualifying third on a dramatic Saturday, and on Sunday started the race well but he was always going to struggle to keep at bay the faster cars behind him.
The Mercedes' of George Russell and Kimi Antonelli both managed to improve and Lawson did well to stay in front of others, including Red Bull rival Yuki Tsunoda who finished sixth.
Lawson was exhausted after crossing the line.
"The race felt rewarding, particularly after the last ten to fifteen laps, which was pretty intense," he said.
"Obviously it's a little disappointing from where we were starting, but realistically we didn't have the speed to fight with the guys in front today, despite always being hopeful."
Racing Bulls team Principal Alan Permane was proud of Lawson who, without the assistance of DRS, managed to keep so many challengers behind him, including the two Ferraris.
"They were faster in lap time and the key to Liam staying in front was using his battery, using his electrical energy very very well," Permane said.
"He was conserving it through the lap and then releasing it on the straight giving him a little bit extra straight line speed and they couldn't get past him.
"Fantastic drive by him, he put together 20 perfect laps towards the end."
New Zealand driver Liam Lawson of Visa Cash App RB F1 Team during the 2025 Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Photo: ALBERTO VIMERCATI / AFP
However the best description of Lawson's performance came from his engineer Ernesto Desiderio, who called his drive a "masterclass" on the team radio.
Lawson picks up ten points for fifth place and that improves him to 13th in the Drivers' Championship with a total of 30, the same as Fernando Alonso and just two points behind 11th placed Lance Stroll.
Lawson has backed his Racing Bulls team since joining them for round three and again today that was his focus as they improved to sixth in the Constructors' Championship.
"To have a P5 is big for us, especially in the Championship right now," Lawson said.
"We've had a good car all weekend thanks to the team, so I'm pleased to be coming home with points. We gave it everything!"
The next round is in a fortnight in Singapore.
"We're going armed into Singapore with bags of confidence and we can really relish in the last third of the season," said Permane.
Oscar Piastri crashed on the opening lap in Baku and his championship lead over McLaren team-mate Lando Norris has been trimmed to 25 points.
Victorious Red Bull driver Max Verstappen, who has won the last two races, is 44 points behind Norris.
