Liam Lawson earns a new nickname at Racing Bulls after beating Isack Hadjar at the Brazilian GP

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Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson needed a strong performance at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, and he delivered.

Liam Lawson picked up a penalty point for a clash with Oliver Bearman during Saturday’s Sprint Race.

However, during a topsy-turvy qualifying session that saw Lando Norris take pole position for McLaren, it was Racing Bulls who really caught the eye among F1’s midfield teams.

Isack Hadjar started the race in fifth, while Lawson had to settle for seventh alongside Haas’ Oliver Bearman.

It was a chaotic race, and Lawson and Hadjar benefited from both Ferrari drivers failing to finish the race due to collisions early on in the Grand Prix.

Although Hadjar started ahead of his teammate, it was Lawson who scored six points to the Frenchman’s four.

That was mainly down to the New Zealander completing a one-stop strategy, and that earned him a new nickname from his Racing Bulls race engineer once he took the chequered flag.

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

Liam Lawson given new nickname after finishing seventh at the Brazilian Grand Prix

During the final laps of the race, Lawson and Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg were attempting to hold off the drivers behind them on newer tyres after only completing one pit stop each.

Hadjar eventually made his way past Hulkenberg and, on the final lap, attempted to pass his teammate, making contact in the process.

Lawson came out on top, and as he finished the race, he was told on the team radio: “That is a masterclass. Charge on. Charge on.”

“Mate, I’m so happy,” Lawson replied, to which his engineer said: “That’s it. Minister of Defence of New Zealand, Liam Lawson.”

Hadjar is looking set to earn a promotion to Red Bull at the end of the season, but Lawson’s future is less certain.

Lawson’s contract expires at the end of the season, but a result like this, with Yuki Tsunoda once again finishing last, will only help his chances of being on the grid in 2026.

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

Liam Lawson reacts to Isack Hadjar’s collision at the end of the Brazilian Grand Prix

After doing more than 50 laps on his medium tyres, Lawson had his work cut out with a train of cars behind him.

Hadjar tried an ambitious move around the outside of turn one on the final lap, and after colliding, they both managed to continue and held their positions.

Asked about the incident after the race, Lawson said: “Yeah, he was going for a move, and it’s the type of corner that obviously curves in, and he’s obviously trying to clear me before the braking, and I think he misjudged it.

“But obviously we both came out of it, so it was OK and more importantly for the team to have two cars seventh and eighth is great today.

“It’s the last lap of a race, honestly, I think there’s no way that the team can expect or anybody can expect.

“As much as it’s the ideal thing to do, there’s no way that we’re not going to race for a position like that.

“So I respect it. Obviously, we’re lucky that we came out of it, but it’s been a great weekend for the team.”