Racing Bulls Address Team Orders After Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda Standoff

Liam Lawson produced the standout drive of his Formula 1 career in Baku, finishing fifth after a tense battle with teammate Yuki Tsunoda.



Lawson crossed the line six-tenths ahead of Tsunoda despite the Japanese driver running on fresher tyres, while a DRS train featuring Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton closed in behind.



Racing Bulls confirmed there were no team orders to let Tsunoda through.



“There were none at all,” sporting director Alan Permane told DAZN.



“We weren’t going to let him through, of course. Liam did a great job keeping behind a faster car.



“Yuki had fresh medium tyres and Liam did a great job holding him off with elbows out. Liam is very tough mentally, very strong.



“He’s been focused all weekend. He drove perfectly.”



Calm Under Pressure



Lawson admitted the final laps were intense as he concentrated on defending his position.



“I had no idea what position I was in until we crossed the line, but I knew we were in a decent position because of all the cars that were behind me,” he said.



“At the end of the race, obviously, I’m going to try and take a bit more risk to keep it there.”



The Kiwi had started from a career-best third on the grid after a chaotic qualifying session featuring a record six red flags.



During the race, George Russell passed him during the pit stops while Kimi Antonelli overtook him on track, but Lawson held off Tsunoda and the chasing pack to secure his best-ever F1 result.



“I think [it was] rewarding after the last 10 or 15 laps, it was pretty intense,” Lawson reflected.



“Obviously, it is a little bit disappointing from where we are starting and realistically we didn’t have the speed to fight with the guys in front today. But you’re always hopeful.



“And we tried everything today, but there just wasn’t quite enough, but still to have a P5 is big for us, especially in the Championship right now.”



Looking Ahead with Confidence



Lawson said he is eager to build on the consistency that delivered his standout weekend.



“The main thing is, as I say, our car has been consistently good across the board at all sorts of different tracks, so that’s very positive for us,” he added.



“Going forward, we need to try and keep that consistency and try to find a little more where we’re fighting for very good results.



“We didn’t quite have the speed for Williams [in Baku], but to finish where we did, if we can consistently do that, it’s very strong for us.”



The result marked a breakthrough moment for the rookie, who now enters a run of circuits where he has previous F1 experience, potentially giving him an edge in the midfield battle.
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