Alpine's Pierre Gasly heads towards the wall after clipping Liam Lawson during the Miami Grand Prix. Photo / Getty Images
Liam Lawson has avoided further punishment for the crash that ended his Miami Grand Prix.
The Kiwi collided with Alpine’s Pierre Gasly on lap eight of Monday’s race, ending both drivers days in the process.
After a lengthy meeting with race stewards, and accepting responsibility, it was found that the crash was caused by a failure of Lawson’s gearbox that left him unable to avoid the contact at turn 17.
The Kiwi had faced a potential grid drop for this month’s Canadian Grand Prix, but has instead been cleared of any wrongdoing.
Monday’s race marked the second time in as many years that Lawson failed to finish in Miami.
Lawson had done well to fight from 11th on the grid up into a share of the points, and would have fancied himself to finish in the top 10.
Lawson complained his car had gone into anti-stall during the incident, and later told media that he suffered a gearbox failure, and that he’d apologised to Gasly.
“It sucks for both of us, obviously,” Lawson said post-race. “I went into the last corner and when I braked, I lost the gearbox.
“I went into neutral, had no gears, and couldn’t stop. It’s not something I’ve had before.
“It’s quite a big issue for us, and it meant we had to retire the car. It’s a shame, because I’ve taken out Pierre as well.”
Gasly was able to walk away unharmed from the crash which flipped his car.
More frustratingly, the incident came immediately after Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar hit the wall at the turn 14 chicane and triggered a yellow flag.
The ‘Did Not Finish’ mirrored Lawson’s efforts in 2025, when he was hit on the opening lap by another Alpine driver – Jack Doohan – and was forced to retire on lap 38.
At the front of the grid, Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli became the first driver to win from pole position in Miami and gained his third successive race victory after taking the chequered flag in China and Japan.
Already the youngest driver to lead the world championship in Formula One history, Antonelli’s advantage has extended to 20 points over Mercedes teammate George Russell, who finished fourth.
Reigning world champion Lando Norris continued his resurgence by finishing second, one day after claiming victory in the sprint race, and climbed to fourth in the drivers’ championship, as McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri completed the podium.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc will lament what could have been after leading early on, only for a poor strategy call from his team saw him run into trouble in his first pit stop and came home sixth before being penalised after the race for leaving the track.
The 20-second time penalty sees Leclerc fall to eighth place as a result. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen was also hit with a five-second penalty for a pit lane violation, but kept fifth place after Leclerc’s punishment.
Lawson’s Racing Bulls teammate Arvid Lindblad came home 14th, after struggling all weekend and qualifying 17th on Sunday.
After qualifying 12th, Lawson was boosted by the confirmation that former teammate Hadjar was relegated to a pit lane start, having been found to have an illegal floor.
As Verstappen spun after the opening corner, Lawson climbed into the points by overtaking his former teammate, and Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg and Gasly to sit eighth by the end of the first lap.
With a faster car, Verstappen had no issue getting around Lawson by the end of lap two,
Verstappen and Lawson claim wheel to wheel not long after, as the Kiwi was forced off the track before rejoining, only to be ordered to give the place back to his former teammate, before he fell to 10th by the end of lap five when he was passed by Williams’ Alex Albon.
Still inside the top 10, and with the threat of rain, the collision with Gasly brought Lawson’s day to an early end.
While Lawson was able to drive away from the collision, the damage clearly impacted the car, before the call was made to retire altogether two laps later.
Formula One resumes at the end of this month for the Canadian Grand Prix.
Did not finish: Nico Hulkenberg - Audi, Liam Lawson - Racing Bulls, Pierre Gasly - Alpine, Isack Hadjar - Red Bull
Alex Powell is a sports journalist for the NZ Herald. He has been a sports journalist since 2016.