Qatar GP: Liam Lawson finishes 17th while Max Verstappen claims 14th win of Formula 1 season

Liam Lawson finished the Qatar GP in 17th place. Photo / Getty Images

Heading into the Qatar Grand Prix, Liam Lawson was expecting a challenging week.

And after failing to finish his first Formula 1 sprint race on Sunday morning, the 21-year-old Kiwi slogged it out in the main race at the back of the field for a 17th-place finish.

It wasn’t the weekend he wanted – following up his first Formula 1 DNF with his worst result in five Grand Prix races, and he’s expected to be back in his role as AlphaTauri and Red Bull Racing reserve driver in a fortnight, with Daniel Ricciardo due to return in time for the United States GP in Texas.

“It was really tricky out there. From the start of the race, we had no speed, and throughout, we were managing some stability issues, so it’s something to analyse,” Lawson said of the race.

“It was very hot, and when you’re struggling with the car, it makes it even harder to extract the pace. It seems to be my last race with the team before Daniel comes back, so I want to say a big thank you to the team, and it’s a shame to finish like this.”

Lawson struggled to find speed earlier in the week, admitting his unfamiliarity at the track and struggles with handling made him hesitant to push his AlphaTauri to the limit. With qualifying taking place earlier in the week because of the sprint format – which features two races over the weekend with a 100km sprint contested at the expense of two free practice sessions – those early jitters were costly as he only qualified to start the Grand Prix in 18th place.

It was going to be a case of hoping for things to fall his way in a race that saw all teams mandated to run at least a three-pit-stop strategy.

The race started as well as Lawson could have wanted if he was going to climb through the field. Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz didn’t start due to an issue with his car, and a collision between the two Mercedes cars saw Lewis Hamilton forced out of the race after trying to overtake teammate George Russell in the first turn of the race.

It saw a safety car lead the way for the first four laps of the race, and threw a curveball for team strategies, particularly those on the soft tyres – Lawson included – with all three drivers still in the race who started on the soft tyres hitting the pits for a change while the safety car was still on the track.

It stayed out until the fifth lap, after which Red Bull’s Max Verstappen took off and never looked like being caught. With drivers allowed a maximum of 17 laps before having to make a pit stop, Verstappen had built a massive lead before he had a tyre change and, as has been a familiar sight for much of the season, the now three-time World Champion enjoyed his time at the front of the field with breathing room behind him.

While there was carnage in the sprint race and early in the Grand Prix, the only other driver not to finish the race was Williams’ Logan Sargeant, who retired late due to illness.

For the second race in a row, he was joined on the podium by both McLaren drivers. This time it was Driver of the Day Oscar Piastri in second after an impressive drive from starting sixth on the grid, while Lando Norris, who started 10th on the grid, finished in third.

Despite the early collision with his teammate forcing him to the back of the field, Russell drove an impressive race to finish in fourth.

With Ricciardo due back in Texas in two weeks’ time, Lawson will likely next race again when the Super Formula season comes to an end in Japan with the young Kiwi in contention to claim the title in the finale at Suzuka at the end of the month.