Liam Lawson at the 2024 São Paulo Grand Prix

Liam Lawson's drive at the 2024 São Paulo Grand Prix at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace demonstrated a calculated approach to a challenging Interlagos circuit. Starting from a commendable fifth position on the grid, the New Zealander navigated the opening stages with precision, initially holding his ground amidst fierce competition. The race, which saw Max Verstappen ultimately claim victory, presented varying track conditions and strategic demands, requiring adaptable execution from all teams. Lawson completed all 69 laps of the Grand Prix, recording a total race time of "2:07:44.882", a testament to the reliability and performance management of his Italian-flagged [Racing Bulls team](https://www.formula1.com/en/teams/RB.html). This consistent effort to bring the car home and secure points is a hallmark of developing drivers, echoing the focused performances seen from other talents in their early careers on the [Formula 1 official site](https://www.formula1.com/en). His ability to maintain a presence within the points-paying positions from a strong qualifying slot underscores the importance of a clean start in [Formula 1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Formula_One) events.

As the São Paulo Grand Prix progressed, Lawson maintained a steady pace, managing tire degradation and race pace effectively across the 69-lap duration. While he ultimately crossed the finish line in ninth place, dropping four positions from his starting grid slot, this result still earned him 2 valuable points for the Racing Bulls team. His fastest lap, a "1:22.123" on lap 67, ranked tenth overall among all competitors, indicating a late-race push for performance as fuel loads lightened. For context, his teammate Yuki Tsunoda, who started from third, finished seventh, securing 6 points for Racing Bulls, highlighting the team's dual-points finish and a solid collective effort, a performance that can be compared to [Yuki Tsunoda at the 2021 Spanish Grand Prix](/results/2021-barcelona-yuki-tsunoda) where a points finish was also achieved. The official [FIA F1 World Championship](https://www.fia.com/events/fia-formula-one-world-championship) records confirm these results, providing a clear picture of the competitive landscape and individual driver performances. Detailed [F1 race results data](https://api.jolpi.ca/ergast/f1/2026.json) helps dissect these performances, revealing trends in driver and constructor form. This effort stands in contrast to the unfortunate early exit of [Carlos Sainz at the 2021 Spanish Grand Prix](/results/2021-barcelona-carlos-sainz), who faced an accident, or the challenges faced by [Nico Hülkenberg at the 2021 Spanish Grand Prix](/results/2021-barcelona-nico-hulkenberg) with outside assistance. Lawson's steady drive ensured a valuable contribution to Racing Bulls' constructor championship aspirations, further detailed on the [Formula 1 official website](https://www.formula1.com/en).