Disappointed not to claim his first F1 podium, Liam Lawson admits that P5 is still pretty good.

Unable to match the pace of those ahead, the New Zealander gave a masterclass in defensive driving in the final stages of the race, holding off an eager Yuki Tsunoda and championship hopeful Lando Norris.

"The race felt rewarding, particularly after the last ten to fifteen laps, which were pretty intense," said Lawson in a masterpiece of understatement.

"Obviously it's a little disappointing from where we were starting," he added, "but realistically, we didn't have the speed to fight with the guys in front today, despite always being hopeful.

"To have a P5 is big for us, especially in the championship right now," he continued. "We've had a good car all weekend thanks to the team, so I'm pleased to be coming home with points.

"We gave it everything," he smiled.

"The race finishes off a great weekend for us here in Baku, which was strong for both our drivers," said team boss Alan Perman. "It was always going to be difficult to keep the quicker cars behind, but we finished with both cars in the points, putting us back to P6 in the championship.

"I'm really pleased for Liam," he added, "a career best for him with 5th place. He put together 20 perfect laps towards the end, keeping those cars behind him.

"For Isack, starting 8th with two Ferraris behind him was always going to be tricky, but he finished very close to them in the end.

"We're going armed into Singapore with bags of confidence and we can really relish in the last third of the season."

Check out our Sunday gallery from Baku here.