Lawson-Bearman thriller: the dangerous duel that flew under the radar
In the early laps of the decisive Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Sunday, while all eyes were understandably on the top three battling for the championship between Lando Norris, Max Verstappen, and Oscar Piastri, a fierce duel unfolded in the midfield that could have dramatically changed the race outcome.
The clash was for 11th place between New Zealander Liam Lawson of Racing Bulls and Haas driver Ollie Bearman. The fiery battle between these two young talents, developed respectively in the Red Bull and Ferrari academies, was intense from the start. Oliver Bearman sparked the confrontation by aggressively attempting to overtake Liam Lawson first at Turn 6 and then again on the long straight leading to the Turn 9 hairpin.
Lawson held firm against the initial overtake attempt, and in a highly risky move, squeezed OliverBearman dangerously towards the left guardrail on the straight, nearly causing a serious accident. The move recalled Yuki Tsunoda’s clash with Lando Norris but was arguably even harsher. The Ferrari junior tried to push through, but eventually had to back off and slot in behind Lawson to avoid contact with car #30 or the barriers—or both.
The stewards investigated the incident during the race and handed Liam Lawson a five-second penalty along with a license point for irregular and potentially dangerous driving.
In a weekend defined by the championship showdown at the front, the Liam Lawson-Oliver Bearman clash was a reminder that Formula 1’s future stars are already prepared to fight tooth-and-nail for every single position – even when the cameras are looking the other way.
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