Formula 1 recap: Liam Lawson finishes Chinese Grand Prix in 15th
All the action from the Formula One Chinese Grand Prix, where Kiwi Liam Lawson starts at the back of the grid.
Christopher Reive
That will do it for the blog tonight. Thanks for tuning in. There's no racing next weekend, but we'll see you back here in a fortnight for the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka.
For now, I'll leave you with Alex Powell's report of today's action.
Liam Lawson crosses the line in 16th
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With Doohan's 10s time penalty, that should see the Kiwi bumped up to 15th.
Oscar Piastri wins the Chinese Grand Prix
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Norris hangs on for a McLaren one-two, with Mercedes' Russell bagging another podium.
Final lap
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Piastri on track for his third win. Norris is under huge pressure to hold second from Russell.
Lap 55 of 56
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Norris being told his braking issue is critical. It's now a matter of just getting the car across the line as he's almost 6s behind Piastri.
Lawson on track for 15th
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With two laps to go, the gap is back to 2.4s between Lawson and Hadjar.
Lap 53 of 56
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Verstappen is hunting Leclerc here, trying to get into fourth.
He does it well. He's 6s behind Russell for a podium spot - surely too much to overcome in three laps.
Lap 52 of 56
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Norris dealing with a braking issue, now 2.8s behind Piastri.
10s time penalty for Doohan
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The Alpine rookie is deemed to have forced Hadjar off the track. Lawson will move ahead of him as a result.
At the front
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Norris is cutting into his teammate's lead here. The gap is now down to 3.2s.
Lawson closing the gap
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The Kiwi is now 1.8s behind Hadjar. Six laps to go.
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Alex Powell: Interestingly, Verstappen has also struggled for pace today. It will be catastrophic for Red Bull if Hamilton can catch him from here too.
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Doohan and Hadjar are being investigated for an incident on an attempted overtake. It will be interesting to see what comes of that.
Current points positions - 7 laps to go
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- Piastri
- Norris
- Russell
- Leclerc
- Verstappen
- Hamilton
- Ocon
- Antonelli
- Albon
- Bearman
Lawson into 16th
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Long pit stop for Tsunoda, who has to change his front wing, which appeared to just break while racing.
10 laps to go
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Lawson within 4s of Hadjar now. Racing Bulls - and Lawson - really paying for a two-stop strategy here and Tsunoda is in 14th, Hadjar in 16th and Lawson in 17th.
Tsunoda just sustained some damage to his front wing, so that works in Lawson's favour to gain at least another position.
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Alex Powell: Lawson just isn't making up any time here. Barring something catastrophic further up the field, this should be it for any chance of points.
Lap 44 of 56
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It looks like everyone who has only made one stop will try to get to the end on their current tyres now.
Piastri leads Norris by 4.8s, with Russell 4.8s further back.
Lap 43 of 56
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Verstappen starting to find some real pace and is gaining on Leclerc, with that gap now about 3s.
Lawson in 17th
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The Kiwi remains about 5s behind Racing Bulls' Isack Hadjar.
Fastest lap
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Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) now holds it.
Lap 40 of 56
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Great battle between Bearman and Gasly for 10th as the Haas rookie finally finds a way around his Alpine rival.
Lap 39 of 56
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Piastri tells his team he believes he can get to the end on his current tyres.
Lawson update
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The Kiwi remains back in 17th, about 5s behind Hadjar. Most of the field have only pitted once.
Fastest lap
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Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) takes it after pitting for hards.
Verstappen finding some speed
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"Good pace now, Max. Better late than never" his race engineer says over the radio.
Lap 37 of 56
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Piastri leads by about 3s from Norris, who has opened up a 5s gap on Russell.
Lap 36 of 56
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Lance Stroll - who started on hards - is yet to pit.
Unrelated, Ollie Bearman is doing a great job for Haas with some good overtakes.
Lap 35 of 56
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We've just heard from McLaren team radio that there's a small chance of rain late in the race.
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Alex Powell: Lawson's last lap was three seconds faster than Doohan's ahead of him. How hard will he push to catch him though?
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Alex Powell: Lawson pits for what should be the last time. He's just shy of 70 seconds off the lead, so will need to be smart from here if he's to get anything.
Current standings - lap 32 of 56
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- Piastri
- Norris
- Russell
- Leclerc
- Hamilton
- Verstappen
- Stroll
- Tsunoda
- Ocon
- Antonelli
- Hadjar
- Albon
- Gasly
- Sainz
- Bearman
- Doohan
- Lawson
- Hulkenberg
- Bortoleto
Lawson back on hard tyres
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He rejoins the field in 18th, behind Hulkenberg.
Lawson back to 17th
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Ollie Bearman makes a move on the Kiwi, who heads into the pits straight after.
Lap 30 of 56
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McLaren are asking their drivers to use some pace and get a bit of space before their second pit stops.
Fastest lap
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Bortoleto - currently 19th - takes the fastest lap from Norris on his fresh set of hards.
Lawson closing the gap
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He's gaining on Doohan - now less than 2s behind.
Fastest lap
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Norris takes that from Russell on the 27th lap.
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Gap between Lawson and Doohan is about 3s.
Lap 27 of 56
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Bearman goes into the pits after telling his team he wants to see some action. He's back out there in 17th.
Bortoleto goes in too - he and Kick Sauber teammate Hulkenburg are a long way back.
Lap 26 of 56
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Piastri (McLaren) leads teammate Norris by about 4s.
Russell (Mercedes) is third, a further 2.2s back, with Ferrari's Leclerc and Hamilton, and Red Bull's Verstappen in the top six.
Lawson on the hunt
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The Kiwi is chasing down Doohan, after Sainz got around the Australian.
Lawson is 3.3s back at the moment.
Ferrari make the switch
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Leclerc moves ahead of Hamilton and now the two are chasing down Russell in third. Leclerc is flying, too.
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Just Stroll and Haas' Ollie Bearman yet to pit - they both started on the hard tyres.
Lap 22 of 56
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Albon pits - he managed to get his mediums two laps further into the race than Lawson went with the hards.
In the battle for 16th...
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Alex Powell: Lawson is really eating into Sainz's lead. It was just shy of six seconds coming out of the pit, it's now around 4.5s. How long can these tyres last, though?
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Hmmm, maybe not. Hamilton says he's open to the change when he's ready - he seems to be going alright still and is going faster than Russell.
Lap 20 of 56
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Ferrari are going to swap their drivers. They've asked Hamilton to let Leclerc pass him soon. It's a smart move as Leclerc is the faster car today.
Lawson pits
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Lap 19 and Lawson will come out on the mediums back down in 18th.
Lap 18 of 56
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Stroll is getting picked off a little bit here - Leclerc gets passed him and Verstappen is making ground on the Aston Martin now.
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Great move from Norris on Russell to get back ahead. Piastri has taken the lead from Albon.
Liam Lawson sits 11th
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The Kiwi is also yet to pit.
After all of that
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Alex Albon (yet to pit) leads, from Piastri, Russell, Norris and Stroll (yet to pit)
Lap 16
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Norris and Leclerc are in the pits. Norris comes out behind both Piastri and Russell - and Lance Stroll, but the Aston Martin hasn't pitted yet.
Fastest lap
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Currently held by Russell.
Lap 15 of 56
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Piastri and Russell both pit. Norris moves into the lead, but I imagine he'll be pitting soon.
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The top of the field are starting to take their first stops now, with Verstappen and Hamilton in and out quickly.
Lawson now 11th
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Antonelli and Hadjar go into the pits. Tsunoda pitted before Hadjar, and gets out of the pits ahead of Antonelli. An undercut well executed by Racing Bulls.
Lawson into 13th
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The drivers are starting to head into the pits now, so Lawson, driving on the hard tyres, is climbing the ladder.
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Alex Powell: Doohan is doing very well to keep Lawson at bay. The gap is hovering around the one-second mark, which keeps him safe from Lawson using his DRS to overtake him - especially into the hairpin at turn 14.
Lap 8 of 56
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Piastri leads his McLaren teammate by about 1.5s, with Russell a further 1.9s back.
Lawson sits 17th, about 0.9s off Alpine's Jack Doohan.
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In the lesser points positions, Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli sits seventh, Racing Bulls duo Yuki Tsunoda and Isack Hadjar sit eighth and ninth, respectively, with Haas' Esteban Ocon in 10th.
Liam Lawson into 17th
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Fernando Alonso is officially out, which has seen Lawson pick up another place. We're six laps in.
Top six
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It remains Piastri, Norris, Russell, Hamilton, Leclerc and Verstappen battling at the front.
Bad news for Fernando Alonso fans
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It looks like the Aston Martin will be the first man out of this one.
He tells his team he's got no brakes, and that will surely be his race over.
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Alpine's Pierre Gasly got the best jump early, he's up three spots into 13th.
He's also just radioed in to his team to tell them Fernando Alonso's brakes are on fire.
Yellow flag
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There's a hazard on the track, but it's cleared quickly.
Ferrari's Charles Leclerc appears to have sustained a little bit of damage, but he's confident he can survive to their first planned pit stop.
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Kick Sauber's Nico Hulkenberg had the worst start. He's lost seven places.
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Alex Powell: Great start for Lawson! He's overtaken both Saubers, and is less than half a second off Doohan in 17th
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Kick Sauber's Gabriel Bortoleto is already in the pits.
Lawson into 18th after all that
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The pit lane start sees him move a couple of places up immediately.
It's Piastri from Norris, Russell, Hamilton, Leclerc and Verstappen early.
Lights out and away we go
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George Russell gets the better start but Oscar Piastri holds him off. A great start from teammate Lando Norris who moves into second.
Lap one of 56 is under way
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Alex Powell: Most of the field are starting on mediums. Lawson is starting on hards. He'll be looking to go as long as he can first up and then switch to mediums and finish on the faster compound - the exact same strategy he used in Austin last year, where he finished ninth after starting 19th.
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Alex Powell: No word yet on what tyres the drivers will start this race on. Interestingly, we've not seen the hard tyres at all this weekend, given there was only one practice session before the sprint and qualifying.
How they might perform on this track, in these conditions, is anyone's guess.
Christian Horner, Red Bull team principal
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On Lawson starting from the pits:
"We've taken the opportunity - rather than starting at the back - to take the car out of parc ferme, make some big set-up changes to try and learn something, and give him a bit of confidence."
Tyre woes
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All drivers have complained about tyre graining all weekend.
Tyre graining occurs when the tyres aren't operating at the right temperatures, either too hot or too cold, and deteriorate faster than usual.
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Good to see a meeting of a couple of Kiwis involved in Formula 1 - Red Bull driver Liam Lawson and trainer Angela Cullen, who works with Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton.
Lawson to start from pit lane
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Just in, Red Bull's No 30 car has changed its suspension, so Lawson will start from pit lane instead of 20th.
A tough blow, but should see the Kiwi avoid any real danger of a turn one pile-up.
Swings and roundabouts.
Track layout
Alex Powell
The Shanghai International Circuit is recently back on the Formula One calendar after a few years away during Covid-19.
However, it's genuinely one of the most exciting tracks in the sport.
Sector one starts with a straight, into a long right-handed turn, which then goes downhill into a left-hander. It's the longest corner on the current circuit.
Sector three meanwhile contains a long back straight, which is a DRS zone, into a hairpin. Lawson made three separate overtakes there in yesterday's sprint race, and will no doubt look to do the same again.
Lawson discusses pressure
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“It’s just really tough,” Lawson told Formula One’s official broadcaster. “The window is really small, that’s known. But it’s not an excuse, I’ve got to get a handle on it.
“It was a messy session, had we not have dealt with traffic, it might have been okay. But it’s still not good enough. We should be fast enough on our first lap. I’ve got to get on top of it.
“It’s just time, unfortunately, I don’t really have time. To drive a Formula One car takes 100% confidence in what you’re doing. It’s not that I don’t have confidence, but the window is just so small that I seem to miss it.
“I don’t know how else to put it. It’s just not good enough.”
Qualifying wrap
Alex Powell
Yesterday was a mixed one for the Kiwi.
Starting 19th in the sprint race, Lawson made up four places – the joint-most by any driver – to finish 14th.
However, come Grand Prix qualifying, Lawson still clocked the slowest time on the grid, even if he improved his qualifying mark by more than 0.5s from Friday.
Given the Grand Prix is triple the length of the sprint, there's plenty of time for Lawson to make his way up the grid, but it's not going to be easy.
Good evening!
Alex Powell
Kia ora, and welcome to the NZ Herald's live coverage of the Chinese Grand Prix, from the Shanghai International Circuit.
We're a couple of hours away from lights out, but we'll bring you all the action as it happens before then.
Liam Lawson qualifies 20th in Shanghai
Liam Lawson can at the very least bank on his performance in the Chinese Grand Prix sprint race, after qualifying 20th for Sunday’s Grand Prix, with the slowest time of the 20 drivers.
In just his second Grand Prix weekend for Red Bull, and first taste of China’s Shanghai International Circuit, Lawson’s qualifying mark of 1m 32.174s was 1.91s slower than the fastest time of the first session, set by McLaren’s Lando Norris.
And while Lawson’s effort was better than 24 hours earlier, bettering his sprint qualifying time by 0.555s, it wasn’t enough for the Kiwi to advance to the second session.
Lawson can take solace from his display in the sprint race, where he started 19th and pulled off the joint-most overtakes over the 19 laps to finish 14th.
However, given the 23-year-old is with Red Bull to fight for wins and podium finishes, the Kiwi will know he cannot continue to qualify near the back of the grid.
“It’s just really tough,” Lawson told Formula One’s official broadcaster. “The window is really small, that’s known. But it’s not an excuse, I’ve got to get a handle on it.
“It was a messy session, had we not have dealt with traffic, it might have been ok. But it’s still not good enough. We should be fast enough on our first lap. I’ve got to get on top of it.
“It’s just time, unfortunately, I don’t really have time. To drive a Formula One car takes 100 percent confidence in what you’re doing. It’s not that I don’t have confidence, but the window is just so small that I seem to miss it.
“I don’t know how else to put it. It’s just not good enough.”
McLaren’s Oscar Piastri took pole position for the first time in his career, and celebrated by setting a new track record at the Shanghai International Circuit, crossing the line in 1m 30.703s, beating the previous record of 1m 30.849s, set by Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton on Friday night in sprint qualifying.
Mercedes’ George Russell will start second after posting a best time 0.082s back from Piastri, while McLaren teammate Lando Norris is third. Lawson’s Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen is third, and was 1.357s quicker than the Kiwi.
Not helping Lawson’s cause is the fact that both Racing Bulls drivers - Red Bull’s junior team - reached the top 10, with Isack Hadjar to start seventh, and Yuki Tsunoda, who the Kiwi beat to the second seat last year, qualifying in ninth.
If there’s any consolation for Lawson, he faced a similar situation in last year’s US Grand Prix at Austin’s Circuit of the Americas. On that occasion, he started 19th thanks to a grid penalty in his Formula One return, but drove a near flawless race to take ninth in the Grand Prix.
The circumstances in China, though, are much different, given Lawson’s Red Bull car is expected to be at the front of the grid, not the back.
Saturday’s qualifying performance came after Lawson performed admirably in the sprint, even from the back of the grid. Needing both time on track and behind the wheel of Red Bull’s RB21, Lawson was afforded both in the first race of the weekend, as vital preparation for Sunday’s 56-lap Grand Prix.
In his first competitive outing at Shanghai, Lawson gained five positions on track after starting 19th, a feat only matched by Alpine’s Pierre Gasly.
Lawson’s performance should be expected, given he’s in a superior car. However, when considering the difficulty the 23-year-old has shown in adapting to his new team, and the nature of sprint weekends reducing practice time, the sprint race was an overwhelming success for the Kiwi before the Grand Prix.
Given the sprint race saw all but one driver go from start to finish on one set of tyres, the experience gained by Lawson will be more important than any points he might have gained from finishing in the top eight.
Lewis Hamilton led from start to finish to take his maiden victory after moving from Mercedes to Ferrari in the off-season, while McLaren’s Oscar Piastri took second after a late overtake on world champion Max Verstappen, who finished third.
Piastri’s McLaren teammate Lando Norris, who won the season opening race in Melbourne last weekend, could only manage eighth place, after qualifying in sixth.
After also qualifying in 20th place on Friday, Lawson was given a slight boost when Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg was relegated to start from pit lane, after changing his suspension set-up.
And after getting through the challenging opening corner, the longest on the Formula One calendar, Lawson slowly but surely got to work in learning the circuit in race conditions.
On lap four, Lawson closed in on Alpine’s Jack Doohan, and showed incredible confidence to brake late into the hairpin at turn 14, and successfully overtake the Australian.
However, Lawson did make contact with Doohan in doing so, and was investigated for the pass, to which the stewards found no further action was warranted.
The turn 14 hairpin proved to be Lawson’s ally three laps later, where he pulled off an identical maneuver on Haas’ Esteban Ocon to move into 17th.
On lap 10, Lawson overtook the Sauber of Gabriel Bortoleto at turn one, taking the outside line and holding his composure to keep his position as the corner moved from the long right hander into an immediate left.
In a battle with Red Bull stablemate Isack Hadjar, Williams’ Carlos Sainz suffered damage - again at turn 14 - and was forced to pit, but not before he too lost a position to Lawson.
And after one final overtake on Haas’ Ollie Bearman on the closing laps, Lawson ultimately ran out of time to move up the grid even further, as he closed in on Hadjar’s Racing Bulls car.