Sports

Liam Lawson Scores Points in Chaotic Mexican Grand Prix

By Alex Powell

Liam Lawson finished ninth in the Mexican Grand Prix, earning two points and extending his position as Formula One’s best driver outside the top four teams to ninth in the championship. The Kiwi’s result followed a chaotic race in which Kimi Antonelli became the youngest world champion, Max Verstappen won for the sixth time, and Lewis Hamilton secured second place. Lawson’s teammate, Arvid Lindblad, retired after being hit by Oscar Piastri. Lawson started from the pit lane with a new power unit, avoided early incidents, and climbed from last to 18th by lap six. He pitted for soft tyres on lap 13, re‑emerging in 20th. After a 40‑minute red‑flag delay caused by Valtteri Bottas’s suspension failure, Lawson restarted in 15th and moved up to 11th, finishing behind Gasly and Bortoleto. The final order was: 1. Max Verstappen, 2. Lewis Hamilton, 3. Kimi Antonelli, 4. Charles Leclerc, 5. Lando Norris, 6. George Russell, 7. Oscar Piastri, 8. Franco Colapinto, 9. Liam Lawson, 10. Pierre Gasly, 11. Gabriel Bortoleto, 12. Isack Hadjar, 13. Alex Albon, 14. Ryo Hirakawa, 15. Carlos Sainz, 16. Nico Hulkenberg, 17. Sergio Perez. Non‑finishers included Arvid Lindblad, Ollie Bearman, Valtteri Bottas, Lance Stroll, and Fernando Alonso. The race will be followed by the Brazilian Grand Prix next week. Alex Powell reports for the NZ Herald.