Liam Lawson Faces Midfield Battle as Lindblad Closes Gap

Liam Lawson's streak of Formula One points finishes was always going to end at some point, but that was a hard watch at Spa-Francorchamps.

What happened?

After missing out on a cooling and chassis upgrade, Lawson ultimately played second fiddle to his teammate, Arvid Lindblad, in the Belgian Grand Prix, and crossed the finish line in 12th. There are small victories there: Lawson should receive that same upgrade in Hungary next week, while Alpine's Pierre Gasly finishing 11th did the Kiwi's standing in the drivers championship no harm either.

Why it matters for Liam Lawson

For the past three races, Lindblad has given some kind of indication he's ready to challenge his senior teammate, and lead Racing Bulls' charge towards fifth in the constructors championship. In Austria, he appeared to ignore team orders to hold position and attacked Lawson coming out of the pits. At Silverstone, Lindblad was heard telling his race engineer that he was lapping faster than Lawson, and should be allowed to overtake. Then, in Belgium, Lindblad forced Lawson wide into turn six to complete an overtake, and was investigated by race stewards as a result.

What comes next?

On Saturday (NZT), team boss Alan Permane was asked about managing his two drivers. "It's good to have two quick guys, that's for sure," he said. "I'm sure there'll be some management needed. "They're incredibly close. If you look this morning [Free Practice One], their ideal laps are separated by milliseconds. "It's going to be nip and tuck all year, I'm sure." With Lindblad's two points, the race for fifth place in the constructors championship between Racing Bulls and Alpine is dead even, as we approach the halfway point of the season.

The stakes are high

Millions are at stake, and Lawson must make the most of a level playing field in Hungary next week. As the only newcomer in this year's championship, Lindblad has now entrenched himself in the midfield battle. This race in particular gave Racing Bulls-and Red Bull, by proxy-the first glimpse of whether Lindblad can lead a team, an audition he more than passed over the course of the weekend.

A level playing field

To his credit, Lawson did everything he could to stay with the faster cars-including a first-lap overtake on his teammate-but over a race distance, these things do work themselves out. Now, it's up to Lawson to make the most of a level playing field, if and when it arrives in Hungary next week.

The battle for fifth

The race for fifth place in the constructors championship between Racing Bulls and Alpine is dead even, as we approach the halfway point of the season. Despite both being on 61 points, Racing Bulls have a slight edge in the battle for fifth. With millions at stake, Lawson must make the most of a level playing field in Hungary next week.