Lawson completes professional performance, tops Tsunoda for ninth in Qatar

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Author: Alex Powell,
Publish Date: Mon, 1 Dec 2025, 8:58am

With drama and storylines unfolding in front of him, Liam Lawson completed a professional display at Formula One’s Qatar Grand Prix, to claim two points with a ninth-place finish.

After qualifying 12th on a track designed first and foremost for MotoGP – leaving overtaking next to impossible – Lawson was patient in making up three places to take his seventh lot of points in 2025, with Red Bull’s decision over its 2026 driver lineups expected imminently.

Almost metaphorically, the Kiwi’s Racing Bulls crossed the finish line one place ahead of Red Bull rival Yuki Tsunoda, who claimed the final point in 10th.

The two are understood to be vying for the final seat at Racing Bulls, with Lawson’s current teammate Isack Hadjar expected to be promoted to Red Bull and his place likely to go to Formula Two driver Arvid Lindblad next year.

“From where we started, it’s positive,” said Lawson. “We had really good race pace when we were in clean air – we just spent the whole race in traffic. That’s what you get around here.

“[It was] a positive result from where we started.”

At the front of the grid, Max Verstappen ensured this season’s title race will go down to the final weekend, with his seventh win of the season.

With the nature of the Lusail International Circuit dictating two mandatory pit stops, and no car allowed to run a set of tyres for more than 25 laps, Verstappen benefited from a shocking error by McLaren.

A safety car on lap seven saw all but the two McLaren cars pit, as Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris went from first and second, to second and fourth respectively. Williams’ Carlos Sainz completed the podium in third place.

Norris produced a final-lap overtake on Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli, which could prove decisive in the championship fight, netting the Brit a crucial two extra points.

As a result, Norris’ championship lead has been cut to 12 points from Verstappen with one race to go, with Piastri 16 back in third.

Should Verstappen claim the championship next week, he’d have done so despite trailing the McLaren cars by more than 100 points after Piastri’s victory at the Dutch Grand Prix.

Norris produced a final-lap overtake on Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli, which could prove decisive in the championship fight, netting the Brit a crucial two extra points.

As a result, Norris’ championship lead has been cut to 12 points from Verstappen with one race to go, with Piastri 16 back in third.

Should Verstappen claim the championship next week, he’d have done so despite trailing the McLaren cars by more than 100 points after Piastri’s victory at the Dutch Grand Prix.

On lap 50, Stroll pitted, and pushed Lawson inside the top 10 for the first time in the weekend, with six laps to hold on and secure the final point.

Lawson extended his lead over Tsunoda to more than one second in the final laps, only to see Hadjar’s misfortune on the penultimate lap ensure both drivers ended up in the points.

The Formula One season concludes next weekend with the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.