Liam Lawson’s F1 points streak snapped in 12th-place Belgian GP finish

Liam Lawson’s points streak ends in Belgium

Liam Lawson’s Formula 1 points streak ended on Sunday when the New Zealand driver finished 12th in the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps.

What happened in Belgium?

The Kiwi’s race unraveled early after Racing Bulls chose to give a vital car upgrade to teammate Arvid Lindblad. The team had pledged the upgrade to whoever qualified higher at Silverstone, a battle Lindblad won.

Lawson fought hard from ninth on the opening lap but lost positions as the upgraded RB car pulled away. A collision between Lewis Hamilton and George Russell on lap one briefly lifted Lawson to sixth, but his pace deficit soon resurfaced.

Why it matters for Liam Lawson

The 12th-place finish ends Lawson’s streak of scoring points in every race since his debut. He now sits 10th in the drivers’ championship with 39 points, three adrift of Alpine’s Pierre Gasly.

Racing Bulls’ decision to prioritize Lindblad’s upgrade backfired when the German forced Lawson off track to take ninth. That result tied Racing Bulls and Alpine on 61 constructors’ points.

How the race played out

World championship leader Kimi Antonelli took victory from pole, ending a three-race winless run. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc finished second while Max Verstappen completed the podium.

Lawson started ninth after grid penalties to Lando Norris and Isack Hadjar. He briefly ran sixth before losing two places in as many laps. A virtual safety car on lap 21 scrambled the order, allowing Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg to split Lawson and Gasly.

The Kiwi battled Gasly and Franco Colapinto for positions before Colapinto passed him on lap 30. Lawson’s final position of 12th left him four points behind Gasly in the standings.

What comes next

Formula 1 heads to the Hungarian Grand Prix next weekend before a four-week summer break. Lawson will look to rebound in Budapest after a tough weekend in Belgium.