Lawson’s Race cut Short by First-Lap Collision in Mexico City Grand Prix
The Mexico City Grand Prix proved to be a challenging race for Racing Bulls, with Liam Lawson retiring early after a first-lap collision and Isack hadjar ultimately finishing outside the points despite a strategic effort. The team leaves the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez with valuable data, but without the championship points they sought.
Lawson’s Grand Prix was tragically brief, ending after just a handful of laps due to damage sustained in a collision with Carlos Sainz in the first corner. The incident forced Lawson to pit for a new front wing at the end of the first lap, but the extent of the damage proved insurmountable.
“We had a really good start and there was a lot of space on the outside in Turn 1, so I filled the gap,” Lawson explained after the race. “A lot of drivers were sliding and I left plenty of space next to Carlos [Sainz],but then he decided to cut the chicane without looking left. This meant he drove into the side of me and regrettably it destroyed the side of my car, meaning we had to retire.”
Lawson expressed his disappointment, noting the strong pace the car had demonstrated throughout the weekend. Onboard footage appeared to corroborate Lawson’s account, showing Sainz moving wide and making contact, although the presence of other cars on Sainz’s inside complicated the assessment. Notably, the race stewards opted not to investigate the incident further.
Hadjar’s race unfolded with a different narrative, marked by a strategic gamble that ultimately fell short. Starting on the medium tyre, the rookie adopted a contrary strategy to many of his competitors. He briefly climbed into the points-paying positions late in the race, but a switch to used soft tyres hampered his ability to defend against the advances of Gabriel Bortoleto, ultimately losing P10. Further setbacks saw him overtaken by Yuki Tsunoda and Alex Albon in the closing stages.
“It was a frustrating race,” Hadjar conceded. “I had a pretty good start but then I made a mistake in Turn 6 during the first lap where I lost a few places, and that compromised quite a lot of our race.” He acknowledged the team’s overall strategy was sound, but lamented a lack of pace, especially when battling drivers on newer tyre compounds. “We just didn’t have enough pace to fight for