Liam Lawson pinpoints moment F1 fortunes changed after ending 51-year drought

Liam Lawson has pinpointed the Austrian Grand Prix as a transformative moment in his F1 season after ending a 51-year drought in Hungary. 

Lawson finished eighth at the Hungaroring to round out the first half of the season on a positive note, with a third points finish in four races.

That run began with a career-best sixth in the Austrian GP, where a suspension change to the Racing Bulls machine has transformed his fortunes against team-mate Isack Hadjar.

In finishing eighth, following on from another eighth place the week before in Belgium, Lawson became the first New Zealander to score points in back-to-back races since Denny Hulme at the 1974 Italian and Canadian Grands Prix. 

Reflecting on the race, Lawson highlighted Austria as the key turning point for his season, which started with a brutal axe by Red Bull after just two races.

"It's been a very tough year and hard to string a series of good results in one, but recently it has been good for us," Lawson told media, including RacingNews365. 

"We need to learn from what is working right now and try to take that forward, but nothing has changed other than some small things in the car, and small things to me, which have helped me get more comfortable. 

"It's been since Austria that I've felt more comfortable, but the speed has always been there since we did the switch. 

"We just had a lot of small things in the first part of the year, and the consistency wasn't there, but now it is. 

"But it is very tough to keep that, so we need to try and focus on doing so."