It has been a short return to Formula 1 racing for Liam Lawson, after a suspected transmission issue left him unable to finish the Miami Grand Prix.
In what is becoming a familar sight this season, Charles Leclerc was able to storm into the lead with a great start. However, he had to avoid carnage as b0th front-row starters in Kimi Antonelli and Max Verstappen had huge lock-ups, which Leclerc was lucky to avoid.
To add to the carnage, Verstappen spun on the exit of the second turn, and was lucky to not be collided into as the rest of the grid scrambled to avoid him.
Lawson started from a net eleventh place after Isack Hadjar’s disqualification from qualifying, and was soon up to eighth by the end of the first lap, sitting comfortably in the points.
At this stage of the race, Lawson looked to be falling out of the pack with potential issues slowing him down. The Kiwi was passed by Verstappen and fell back into the clutches of Alex Albon soon after.
The first safety car came out on lap six after two incidents occurred simultaneously on different parts of the track. Hadjar firstly hit the wall heading into turn fourteen, leaving the French driver out of the race, suffering too much damage to continue.
At the same time, at the end of the long back straight, Lawson collided with Pierre Gasly after his car suffered suspected transmission issues, leaving him unable to stop in time. Lawson, unfortunately, went straight into the side of Gasly, causing the Alpine driver to flip upside down before coming to a rest on the edge of the tyre barrier.
The Kiwi stated that his car went into anti-stall during the incident, leaving him a passenger as he idled into chaos.
Lawson initially kept circulating but eventually headed into the lane two laps later, where he was forced to retire from the Grand Prix. Thankfully, Gasly walked out of the car unharmed, but also did not continue the race.
The race resumed again on lap twelve, with Leclerc being jumped by Lando Norris and Kimi Antonelli, leaving the current world champion in the lead of the race. However, he was soon jumped by Antonelli, and he never looked back.
Antonelli continued his great run of form as of late, taking his third race win in a row. Antonelli and Norris finished over twenty seconds ahead of Oscar Piastri, highlighting the power of the Mercedes power unit.
Leclerc was lucky to finish the race after a spin in turn two left him with damage on the last lap. George Russell and Verstappen both benefited from Leclerc’s struggles, with both drivers coming from nowhere to gain a spot each.
Lawson’s teammate Arvid Lindblad finished in fourteenth after a tough race, meaning Racing Bulls leave Miami with no points for their efforts.
Formula 1 heads to Canada next, with Practice 1 kicking off on the 23rd May (NZST).
