NZ Autocar
Published 8 June 2026
Liam Lawson delivered a determined drive on the streets of Monaco, battling through a dramatic and incident-filled GP to secure fifth place as championship leader Kimi Antonelli claimed a fifth consecutive victory.
The Racing Bulls driver matched his career-best Formula 1 result after starting from 10th on the grid, overcoming a difficult build-up to the race and surviving a contest that featured two safety car periods, a red flag and multiple retirements.
Adding to the team’s strong performance, rookie team-mate Arvid Lindblad finished directly behind Lawson after launching his charge from 15th on the grid.
The result was particularly satisfying for Lawson given the uncertainty surrounding his participation before the race.
“For us it’s a good result, it feels really good especially where we started the weekend and obviously where we started the race as well,” Lawson told Sky Sports.
The Racing Bulls squad was still working frantically on both cars shortly before the start, with Lawson revealing he feared he might not even make it to the grid.
“I didn’t think I was going to race, I turned up to the garage and we had issues and I saw the car in pieces and so to put it together and just go and have a car that was very competitive was great.”
As chaos unfolded around the streets of Monaco, Lawson and Lindblad steadily worked their way forward. Seven drivers failed to reach the chequered flag, while several others were placed under investigation following various incidents and potential rule breaches.
The strong finish lifts Lawson to ninth in the Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship on 26 points as he continues to build momentum during the 2026 season.
At the front, Mercedes sensation Antonelli once again demonstrated why he is the title favourite. The 19-year-old converted pole position into victory, controlling much of the race before a late red flag threatened to derail his afternoon.
The stoppage came after Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc crashed heavily, damaging the circuit surface at the final corner and forcing officials to halt proceedings while repairs were carried out. Following a delay of around 40 minutes, the race resumed with a standing start.
Despite the pressure of the restart, Antonelli remained composed and drove away from the field to secure his fifth win in succession and become the youngest winner in Monaco Grand Prix history.
Ferrari veteran Lewis Hamilton finished second for the second consecutive race, while Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar crossed the line in a provisional third place, although his result remained subject to post-race investigations.
It was a race to forget for several leading contenders. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen stalled at the start and retired after just one lap, while McLaren’s Lando Norris was sidelined by mechanical problems.
Hamilton’s latest podium moved him ahead of Mercedes driver George Russell into second place in the championship standings. However, he remains 66 points adrift of Antonelli, whose remarkable run of form is rapidly turning the title fight into a one-sided affair.
Formula 1 now heads to Spain for the next round of the championship, where Lawson will be aiming to build on one of his strongest performances of the season.
