Up front Max Verstappen put on a commanding performance, clinching victory with a substantial lead of over 19 seconds to seal the 2023 Constructors Championship for Red Bull. McLaren's Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri rounded out the podium.
But Kiwi fans were glued to the mid-pack battle between our own Liam Lawson and his AlphaTauri teammate Yuki Tsunoda.
Leading into the race the big news surrounding Lawson was that he had been overlooked for a permanent seat with AlphaTauri, instead Yuki Tsunoda, the only Japanese driver in the field, has been extended a lifeline, with many speculating the re-signing was at the behest of Honda who supply engines to Red Bull.
Lawson, who is filling in for the injured Daniel Ricciardo has bettered Tsunoda in every outing as well as finishing higher in the order than Ricciardo has in 2023. Lawson has seemingly done enough to secure a seat with either AlphaTauri or Red Bull in 2025, especially if Tsunoda, Ricciardo or Red Bull driver Sergio Perez don’t lift their game.
That Red Bull seat may well be up for grabs early too as Perez had an unfortunate encounter with Haas's Kevin Magnussen, resulting in a spin and additional damage, accompanied by another five-second penalty. Eventually, Perez retired from the race, returning briefly only to serve his penalty and avoid a grid drop in the next round in Qatar.
Lawson starting 11th on the grid, 2 positions behind Tsunoda on his home turf, but the Kiwi steadily moved forward, ultimately challenging Tsunoda for position. The two engaged in an exciting duel, racing side by side through several corners, but Lawson was determined to make a statement on track and finish ahead of Tsunoda. He seized the inside line at Turn 11 and claimed the position.
The AlphaTauri team made a strategic call to pit Lawson before Tsunoda. Lawson switched to soft tyres on Lap 10 but was undercut by Tsunoda at the highly strategic circuit and he lost some track position dropping to 11th by lap 20.
Pierre Gasly, piloting a fast-charging Alpine, caught up to Lawson and made a clean pass on Lap 23 and Tsunoda on the following lap.
During the second round of pit stops, Lawson benefited from the undercut strategy. He switched to hard tyres on Lap 26, rejoining the race at the rear of the field, with only 15 cars remaining.
It was intense battle between Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda over the final ten laps. Tsunoda closed the gap on newer tyres, getting within .5 of a second of Lawson, but Lawson wouldn’t be denied and Tsunoda just couldn’t get past the determined Kiwi.
Formula 1 action returns in two weeks for the Qatar Grand Prix, and it is sounding likely that Liam Lawson will again take the track in place of Daniel Ricciardo. While Ricciardo, Tsunoda and Perez all have contracts in place till the end of 2024, their performances will certainly be under the microscope as the team looks to slot Lawson in somewhere as soon as they can.
