Liam Lawson wary of major F1 rival threat as Racing Bulls steal advantage

Liam Lawson is wary of Alpine suddenly stealing away Racing Bulls' fifth place in the constructors' championship, pointing to 2024 as his evidence.

After the Singapore round, Racing Bulls have 100 points in the constructors' standings, 32 ahead of nearest rival Alpine, aided in part by Lawson's standout weekend in Singapore, where he banked fifth in the Sprint and seventh in the grand prix for 10 points overall.

This, coupled with a third successive blank for Alpine, means Lawson and Arvid Lindblad are closing in on securing fifth place for the team, which would be the team's best-ever result in the constructors', and eclipse anything predecessors Toro Rosso or AlphaTauri achieved.

However, despite moving 32 points clear of Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto, Lawson was still wary of the threat posed by Alpine - and pointed to the 2024 Sao Paulo GP where Alpine scored a double podium to rocket up the standings.

"Not secure, no," Lawson told media, including RacingNews365 of Racing Bulls' fifth-place after the Singapore weekend.

"We're definitely in a better place, and we've managed to extend the [points lead] over the last few weekends, and [Singapore] for us was a 10-point weekend. 

"So it was good and they didn't score in either race, and I'm not even sure they scored in the triple-header, and they've had a very, very fast car.

"I'm happy with the team, and we've made all the right decisions ultimately through these last few weeks, but it is not secure for the rest of the year.

"A couple of years ago, Alpine had a double podium in Brazil, so anything can happen."

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Alpine's double podium

Prior to the 2024 Sao Paulo GP, Alpine was a lowly ninth in the constructors' standings on just 14 points following a poor season. 

It was behind Haas on 46 points, Racing Bulls itself on 36 and Williams on 17. 

However, Gasly scored two points in the Sprint before the team struck gold in the torrentially wet race, with Esteban Ocon finishing second and Gasly taking third place. 

This haul of 35 points in total rocketed Alpine up the standings to sixth place with 49 points, overhauling all three teams immediately ahead of it. 

In the final standings, this haul ensured the team finished above both Racing Bulls and Williams, with Alpine eventually just seven points clear of Haas - with the sixth-place finish worth millions of dollars in extra prize money for the Enstone squad.