Liam Lawson’s F1 Abu Dhabi GP concluded with a P18 finish after receiving a five-second time penalty for driving erratically. The Racing Bulls driver struggled for pace throughout the race and battled on an unsuccessful strategy. Despite the challenging result, Racing Bulls secured P6 in the Constructors’ Championship. Lawson spent much of the race battling Lance Stroll before his performance deteriorated.
Lack of pace and strategy issues
Lawson faced multiple challenges during his Abu Dhabi GP. Speaking in the print media pen after the race, he explained the difficulties Racing Bulls encountered. “Yeah, just a tough race. We didn’t really have the speed and we also didn’t have a very good strategy,” he stated.
The team’s focus during Lawson’s Abu Dhabi GP centered on securing P6 in the Constructors’ Championship. The strategy prioritized keeping Aston Martin behind rather than chasing higher positions. Throughout the first stint he held Lance Stroll up to help with that.
“Just, I think, more focused on just trying to optimise P6, trying to stay P6 in the constructors, trying to keep the essence behind. So, we spent the first part of the race with Stroll and in the end we weren’t fast enough anyway. So, tough race.”
Five-second penalty for erratic defending
Lawson received a five-second penalty and one penalty point for erratic and late defensive driving against Ollie Bearman during his Abu Dhabi GP. The stewards reviewed video evidence including in-car footage and determined Lawson made several erratic moves between Turns 8 and 9 as Bearman’s Haas approached. The penalty brought Lawson’s total to six penalty points for the twelve-month period.
Lawson admitted fault for the defensive move during his F1 Abu Dhabi GP: “I was defending. To be fair, I moved quite late, so it was probably my bad. It wasn’t intentional, but I guess that’s why I got the penalty.”
Bearman and Stroll received identical time penalties. When informed about the other penalties during the media session, Lawson expressed surprise at the pattern of decisions.
The penalty compounded an already difficult afternoon for Lawson’s Abu Dhabi GP.
“It was a pretty boring afternoon,” he stated, summarizing the frustrating race.
Battle with Norris on worn tyres
Norris fought through the field after his pit stops during the Abu Dhabi GP. When asked about the entertaining moment defending against the Briton, who then went on to win the Drivers’ Championship, Lawson explained the situation. “I mean, it was for position, but obviously I was on pretty cooked tyres, so it wasn’t worth trying to stay there late in the corner,” he stated.
The Racing Bulls driver briefly held position before his race deteriorated during his Abu Dhabi GP afternoon as Leclerc, Russell and more started coming through on new rubber. “But yeah, at that point we were still having a decent race, and then very quickly after that our race fell apart,” he stated.
When asked if he came close to points during his Abu Dhabi GP, Lawson was blunt: “No, not close. Honestly, not close.”
Constructors’ result provides consolation
Despite the difficult race, Racing Bulls achieved their target. When reminded about securing P6 in the Constructors’ Championship following Lawson’s Abu Dhabi GP, he acknowledged his team’s achievement: “Yeah, it’s a great result for the team. It’s what we set out to do in the last part of this year, so very, very happy.”
The Constructors’ position provided some consolation after Lawson’s P18 finish at the F1 Abu Dhabi GP.
