Kiwi Racer Liam Lawson stuns in debut Formula 2 race weekend

Liam Lawson has rounded out a stunning debut weekend in Formula 2 with a podium finish in Bahrain.

Mar 29, 2021

The 19-year-old Kiwi won the opening sprint race before placing third in the feature race at the 3.5km-long Sakhir circuit.

The weekend’s fixture – a prelude to the opening round of the 2021 Formula 1 season – marked Lawson's first event in the Formula 2 tier, having spent the last two years racing in Formula 3.

Liam Lawson has rounded out a stunning debut weekend in Formula Two with a podium finish in Bahrain.

The New Zealand driver won the opening sprint race of the round before attaining a third-place podium spot in the feature race at the Sakhir circuit.

This weekend marked Lawson's first event in the tier that sits below Formula 1, having spent the prior two years in Formula 3.

Starting eighth on the grid, Lawson was pleased with how the day eventuated.

"I’m extremely happy to finish third – it’s a really good haul of points," the Giltrap Group supported driver told media.

Lawson benefitted from an early safety car and an error from pole sitter Guanyu Zhou of China – who ultimately won the race – that enabled him to move further up the order. It completes a stellar weekend for the 19-year-old, with two podiums across the first three races. He was forced to retire in the second sprint race yesterday following a collision.

Lawson sits second in the championship, 11 points off leader Zhou. The next round is at the Circuit de Monaco in Monte Carlo.

The Formula 1 race that followed saw world champion Lewis Hamilton hold off Max Verstappen to win the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix and clinch the 96th Formula One win of his career. Verstappen finished just .74 seconds behind Hamilton, while the British racer’s teammate, Valtteri Bottas, took third.