F1 fans have now identified an ‘underrated’ Liam Lawson attribute during the Chinese Grand Prix

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Arvid Lindblad made headlines on his debut at the Australian Grand Prix, but his more experienced Racing Bulls teammate Liam Lawson stole the show in Shanghai.

Liam Lawson outqualified Arvid Lindblad in both qualifying sessions, although the British teenager’s lack of running in the only practice session didn’t help his preparations.

Lindblad eventually retired from the Sprint Race after spinning on the opening lap, and his strategy during Sunday’s race meant he missed out on a top 10 finish.

However, Lawson has now matched his points tally for the season with two P7 finishes across the weekend, earning the 24-year-old even more plaudits from his fans.

READ MORE: Who is Racing Bulls F1 driver Liam Lawson? Everything you need to know

Liam Lawson told by F1 fans his tyre management is ‘underrated’ after the Chinese Grand Prix

Naomi Schiff predicts Lawson and Lindblad to start ‘rubbing wheels’, and the 18-year-old did try an early overtaking move on his teammate, forcing Lawson to get onto the radio to ask what he was doing.

Lawson started the Sprint Race on the hard tyres, and that allowed him to make up six positions and survive a late safety car.

The New Zealander made up seven positions on Sunday to add another six points to his tally, and reacting to his performance on Reddit, plenty of F1 fans were very impressed.

One comment read: ‘At this rate, we may see RBR and VCARB fighting for the same positions at the top of midfield since it’s McLaren and Ferrari fighting for scraps in p2 & p3.’

‘He’s sometimes underrated in the tyre management department, not going to lie,’ suggested another fan, with a comment following this up and sharing some of his best performances, including, ‘Relevant races:- Austria ’25, Baku ’25, Brazil ’25.’

One comment suggested: ‘His race pace last year was better than Hadjar’s, just not quite as quick consistently in qualifying. He’s very skilled at managing tyres and grinding out good results. Must be an NZ thing, Scott Dixon is the GOAT of that.’

‘I’ve seen enough. Put him in the 2nd sea-… what do you mean, Max was behind him?’ joked another fan, while one comment read: ‘I like seeing him get up, considering there are a lot of people praying for his downfall.’

A final comment summed Lawson’s weekend up nicely, stating: ‘Great job from the Kiwi, the hards were a gamble that paid off and staying out during the safety car was a good choice. Last year, some V-CARB race strategies kind of screwed Lawson; here is hoping this year is better.’

READ MORE: All to know about Racing Bulls from team principal to Red Bull affiliation

Liam Lawson delighted with unexpected Chinese Grand Prix result

Lawson has earned several nicknames during his F1 career, and his skillset is now being properly acknowledged by fans.

Lindblad is going to be a very competitive teammate this season, but with many drivers struggling with tyre wear under these new regulations, Lawson could have unlocked an attribute that will give him a clear advantage in a very tight midfield battle.

Speaking in his official post-weekend debrief, the 24-year-old said: “I’m really happy with our result today. To be honest, we didn’t quite expect it, but our pace was strong towards the end.

“We had a poorly timed Safety Car, and at that moment, I thought our race might be over. It turned out to be a really enjoyable race, and we managed to pull off a few overtakes.

“Bringing it home in P7 feels great. Full credit to the team from a strategy standpoint, we did everything right this weekend and securing two point finishes shows how well the team executed.

“We’ll keep pushing to find a bit more speed for next week and the coming races, and hopefully we can fight even further up the grid.”