History made

This needs to be taken with a huge grain of salt, but Lawson’s points in Madrid take his season tally to 59, clear of the 51 that Denny Hulme finished with in 1967, to set a new record for the most scored by a Kiwi in a single season.

Considering the modern 25-18-16-12-10-8-6-4-2-1 scoring system is much more generous than the 9-6-4-3-2-1 one Hulme won the world championship with. Bruce McLaren’s best campaign saw him net 37 points in 1960, Chris Amon’s was 23 in 1970.

When adjusted, Hulme would have finished that same season with 161 points. McLaren and Amon would have managed 121 and 93 points respectively. You can do anything with stats, though, right?

While Lawson’s numbers do need to be put into context, his work in this campaign should be celebrated sooner rather than later.

After hitting the lowest of lows to start last season, Lawson has rebuilt his career – and come out the side as a better driver – in a way that few of his contemporaries would have been able to.

For Kiwi fans, who’ve had to wait a long time for a driver who can score points regularly, Lawson’s performances this season have been welcomed on so many occasions, even if we’re still waiting for a podium finish.

Here’s hoping this is just the beginning.

No place like home

Barring another setback for Isack Hadjar, Madrid marked what should be Lawson’s final race as an injury replacement at Red Bull.

Two points finishes from three attempts – with the third ruined by a broken front wing – represent a more than solid haul from Lawson, who stepped back into the Red Bull garage with the scars of 2025 hanging over him.

Seventh at Zandvoort and sixth in Madrid are exceptional returns for a driver stepping into a new car, and new team, midway through the season.

The reality now, though, is Lawson must go back to Racing Bulls and resume the battle for fifth in the constructors championship.

For all his individual success, Lawson has seen Alpine outscore Racing Bulls 16-7 during his time away, with the hold on fifth only there after Pierre Gasly was stripped of his Monaco podium.

With nine confirmed races left this season, considering events can be added and removed from the calendar while Donald Trump’s war in the Middle East rages on, there is still plenty of time for both teams to improve.

However, after battling with effectively one driver for the last three races – with all due respect to Yuki Tsunoda – Lawson can’t be back at Racing Bulls soon enough.

Tsolov’s folly

If reports are to be believed, Lawson is currently locked in a battle with Formula Two starlet Nikola Tsolov for a place on next year’s grid. Should that be the case, this weekend was one the Bulgarian teenager will want to forget.

Having been secure in his position as Formula Two’s championship leader, Tsolov’s lead at the top of the standings has been cut to just seven points from Ferrari junior Rafael Camara.

More than just numbers, though, it’s what happened on track that should have Tsolov’s camp very concerned.

In Formula Two’s sprint race on Saturday night (NZT), the 19-year-old wasted a golden chance to impress Red Bull’s decision-makers.

Starting fourth on the grid, Tsolov lost a place to Campos teammate Noel Leon, and went about committing the cardinal sin of motorsport.

With Leon struggling for pace, Tsolov tried his luck attacking his teammate into turn five, and even asked over team radio to be given preferential treatment. While Tsolov did manage to complete an overtake on lap 14, he left the track to do so, and was ordered to give the place back.

Next came the ultimate embarrassment, as Tsolov hit the wall at turn 20, and ended his race without any points. To make matters worse, Tsolov also went pointless in Sunday’s feature race.

While events like these do happen, seeing it from a driver who’ll be fighting to reach Formula One is not a good sign. With championship battles deciding how much prize money teams earn, crossing the line in one piece is a must, not fighting your teammate is just as important.

If we’ve learned anything from Madrid, it’s that 2027 might just be too soon for Tsolov to step up, if this is how he’s going to act when things don’t go his way.

Sources have told the Herald that Tsolov will likely spend a season as a Racing Bulls reserve driver, or potentially in Japanese Super Formula the same way Lawson and Pierre Gasly did before him.

Being able to develop away from the spotlight of Formula One might just be the best thing for him, at this stage.

From the horse’s mouth

During the weekend, Racing Bulls team boss Alan Permane was quizzed by journalists about the brewing situation with his 2027 driver lineup.

Naturally, as has been the case all season so far, Permane kept his cards very close to his chest.

“I think it’s a bit early for us, honestly,” he said. “We traditionally wait a little bit longer, we’re under no pressure to announce what we’re doing yet next year,” he said.

“Nikola, of course, features in our thoughts, and he’s having an incredible season. First season in F2, leading the championship. He’s got everything going for him.

“Having said that, I’ve got two fantastic drivers in Liam and Arvid as well, so it’s a nice problem to have.”

The past two years have seen Racing Bulls’ driver lineups confirmed towards the end of the season.

And while sources have told the Herald the decision will really be made by Oliver Mintzlaff, Red Bull’s global managing director, you’d think the team would want to lock something in to at least give its junior side some stability; for now, all we can do is wait.

Back to Baku

With a week off in between, Formula One’s next stop is the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku.

For Lawson, a return to the shores of the Caspian Sea will be welcome. As well as achieving his career-best result there last year – qualifying third before finishing fifth in a Racing Bulls – Lawson’s record in Baku as a junior is immaculate.

In 2021, he claimed his maiden Formula Two pole there, before taking a podium there a year later.

This year, he’ll arrive there with the confidence of a driver who’s comfortably ninth in the drivers championship, and in a better car than the one he impressed with in 2025.

Here’s hoping for more of the same this time around.

Alex Powell is a sports journalist for the NZ Herald. He has been a sports journalist since 2016.