Lawson picks up penalty point after “erratic” Abu Dhabi defence on Bearman, Racing Bulls still bag P6
Liam Lawson’s season ended with another brush against the FIA’s red line. The Racing Bulls driver has been handed a penalty point on his superlicence for what stewards called “several erratic moves” while defending from Oliver Bearman’s Haas during the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Lawson copped a five-second time penalty in-race for the block, then had the extra point added post-race. He finished 18th, a lap down, while Bearman narrowly missed the points in 12th. The latest mark takes Lawson to six penalty points in his current 12-month window — halfway to an automatic one-race ban at 12, the threshold that famously snagged Kevin Magnussen in 2024.
The stewards’ note was blunt: “The Stewards reviewed video including in-car video evidence. Car 30 made several erratic moves between Turns 8 and 9 as Car 87 was approaching.”
Lawson didn’t bother dressing it up. “I was defending him. To be fair, I moved quite late so it was probably my bad,” he said afterwards. “It wasn’t intentional, but I guess that’s why I got the penalty.”
There’s some context here. Lawson and Bearman have been magnetised to one another in recent weeks. The pair tangled at Interlagos in the sprint, a lap-one squeeze that spat Bearman into a spin at Turn 4. The stewards split that one down the middle with a penalty point each. Abu Dhabi felt like a sequel — same protagonists, same needle, less damage.
For Racing Bulls, the sting of a point-less finale was tempered by the bigger picture. Despite neither Lawson nor teammate Isack Hadjar scoring in Yas Marina, the Faenza team locked down sixth in the constructors’ standings — its best haul since 2021, back in the AlphaTauri days. That’s a quietly significant step for a team that’s been trying to redefine its role in the Red Bull ecosystem.
And that ecosystem is shifting again. Ahead of the season finale, Red Bull confirmed Hadjar will step up to partner Max Verstappen at Red Bull Racing next season, with Yuki Tsunoda moving into a test and reserve role. Lawson stays put at Racing Bulls alongside Arvid Lindblad, the highly rated junior making the jump from F2. It’s a bold, youthful shuffle — and it puts a premium on clean, consistent weekends for Lawson from lights to flag.
Which brings us back to the FIA and driver conduct. The bar on defensive moves has moved, if only subtly, this year. “Late but fair” used to be a tactic; “late and reactive” is now a fast track to five seconds and a point on the board. Lawson knows it. Most of the grid knows it. In the closing laps at Yas Marina, with Bearman in the mirrors and worn tyres under him, he rolled the dice and came up short.
It didn’t tilt the title fight — that was already McLaren’s party, with Lando Norris sealing the championship — but it did underline where the margins are now policed. For Lawson, six points isn’t a crisis, but it’s not nothing either. With a new teammate arriving and a rookie on the other side of the garage, the last thing he needs is to start 2026 living on the edge of a race ban.
The rivalry with Bearman, though? That might be worth keeping an eye on. Two quick young drivers, sharp elbows, and a couple of unresolved chapters in the notebook. Feels like we’ll see it again.
Key takeaways:
– Lawson receives one penalty point for erratic defence vs Bearman, plus an in-race five-second penalty.
– Totals six penalty points in his current 12-month period; 12 triggers an automatic race ban.
– Bearman finishes P12, Lawson P18.
– Racing Bulls secure P6 in the constructors — best result since 2021.
– 2026 driver moves: Hadjar to Red Bull alongside Verstappen; Tsunoda to test/reserve; Lawson to stay at Racing Bulls with Lindblad stepping up.
