After a disappointing qualifying session marred with issues for Liam Lawson, he knew he had his work cut out for him in a race which showed huge potential, with some big names stuck down the field.
A very jumbled start for the Mercedes duo sent them down the pack as Oscar Piastri and Charles Leclerc swooped around them to head to the front of the pack. Piastri would finish his first racing lap of the season in first, ahead of Leclerc, Lando Norris, George Russell and Kimi Antonelli.
Lawson was able to make up two places after a skirmish with Gabriel Bortoleto to finish the first lap in twelfth. Lawson’s teammate Arvid Lindblad was also able to make up two places, leaving him in eighth.
The field fell into a rather processional pattern as drivers focused on preserving both tyre and battery. By lap 8 Russell was able to be back right on Piastri’s bumper, while Antonelli lingered down in fifth. Lindblad had fallen back to tenth at this point, while Lawson remained in twelfth, hovering around two seconds behind Isack Hadjar.
With the pit window opening around lap eighteen, drivers had to prioritize smart racing rather than hard racing. Lindblad and Hadjar provided some great wheel to wheel racing, which helped bring Lawson within a tenth of Hadjar by lap thirteen.
Norris was the first driver to pit on lap sixteen, electing to go onto the hard tyre, and was soon followed in by Leclerc and Piastri, who took the gamble to try undercut a fast closing Russell.
Lindblad came into the lane on lap nineteen and was followed in a lap later by Hadjar, where Hadjar managed to stay in front of Lindblad upon exit of the lane. By lap twenty-one, Lawson had cycled up into ninth while others around him came into the pit lane.
Russell, after expressing frustration over the radio about his stint length came into the lane on lap twenty-one. The race dynamic was thrown on its head as Ollie Bearman found himself parked up in a barrier, with his Haas in pieces. This played into Lawson’s hands, as he had extended his first stint and allowed him to come for essentially a “free pit stop”, where he emerged from the lane in tenth. He soon moved up into ninth as Nico Hulkenberg came into the lane.
The race resumed on lap twenty-eight, where Antonelli was able to get a great getaway to leave Piastri well behind heading into turn one. Lawson was able to hold position in ninth, six tenths behind Max Verstappen after the first green lap.
In a radio message which is starting to become all too familiar for Aston Martin fans, Lance Stroll was called into the pit lane to retire with an unspecified issue.
At the end of lap thirty five Lawson had managed to hold onto ninth after a small battle with Ocon. Antonelli was able to slowly pull away from Piastri to have a six second lead by the end of lap thirty-seven. His teammate, Russell, lingered down in fifth, behind Piastri, Lewis Hamilton, and Leclerc.
Antonelli was able to stretch his lead out to ten seconds by lap fourty-three. Lawson had a significant gap ahead to Verstappen, but was still under relentless pressure from Ocon behind.
Living up to his ‘Minister of Defense’ title, Lawson was able to hold on to ninth place after having the Haas of Ocon on his rear bumper for a huge number of laps.
Teenage sensation Kimi Antonelli made Formula 1 driving look easy as he drove away to a fourteen second victory over Piastri, who finished a second and a half ahead of Leclerc.
Lindblad, after showing good pace early on, was unfortunate to finish fourteenth after being on the receiving end of bad safety car timing.
Lawson now holds ten points in the championship after a great start to the 2026 season.
Formula One now takes a break after the cancellation of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grand Prix’, where on track action resumes on May 2.
Liam Lawson is a underrated driver,his team seems to put hurdles in front of him regularly basis