Lawson knocked out of Miami Grand Prix
- Dave Worsley
- May 5
- 2 min read
Another disappointing finish to a Formula 1 race for New Zealand's Liam Lawson, this time at the Miami Grand Prix.
The 23-year-old was forced to retire from the race on Sunday (Monday NZ Time) after he was hit by Alpine driver Jack Doohan at the first bend and was spun around as he dropped down to last place from his starting spot of 15th.
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In a tight squeeze the blame initially looked like Doohan's, however, stewards later concluded that it was a racing incident and did not require any further action.
Australian Doohan was immediately forced out of the race, whereas Lawson tried to continue until he was eventually called into the pits and the team retired the car. His Racing Bulls car showed plenty of damage following the collision.
It was the conclusion to a difficult weekend for Lawson, who copped a time penalty for a clash during the sprint race, which forced him out of the points.
Oscar Piastri won the race from Lando Norris in a one-two for McLaren, with Mercedes' George Russell third.
The next race is May 16-18 at Emilia Romagna near Madrid.
At IndyCar's Grand Prix of Alabama, Scott McLaughlin was thwarted in his three-peat bid but still finished on the podium on Sunday (Monday NZT) to improve his position in the drivers championship.
McLaughlin, who started second, led for three laps and finished more than 23 seconds behind series leader and race winner Alex Palou and seven seconds adrift of Christian Lundgaard.
Scott Dixon, who started 26th after losing the rear and going off the track during the first round of qualifying, made his way up through the field to finish 12th, while Marcus Armstrong, who led six laps, crossed 17th after starting 11th.
In Nascar's latest Sprint Cup race at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday (Monday NZT), Kiwi Shane van Gisbergen finished 22nd after starting 37th. He restarted 20th for the two-lap overtime, before dropping back two spots.
