Heart-in-Mouth Finish: Hadjar and Lawson Narrowly Avoid Last-Lap Collision in Brazil
The Racing Bulls (VCARB) pit wall was left holding its collective breath after teammates Isack Hadjar and Liam Lawson came perilously close to a disastrous collision on the final lap of the 2025 São Paulo Grand Prix.
The two young drivers, both fighting to impress the Red Bull senior management, engaged in a fierce wheel-to-wheel battle for the final championship point, pushing the boundaries of hard-but-fair teammate racing right to the checkered flag.
A Tense Battle for the Final Point
Throughout the closing stages of the race, Hadjar and Lawson found themselves locked in a private battle for P10. With both cars evenly matched, neither driver was willing to concede the position. Hadjar was leading his teammate, with Lawson applying immense pressure and benefiting from the Drag Reduction System (DRS) on Interlagos’s long straights.
The tension escalated lap after lap, but it all culminated in a dramatic showdown on the 71st and final lap of the Grand Prix.
The Last-Lap « Near-Miss »
Heading down the main straight to start the final lap, Lawson got an excellent run on Hadjar and pulled alongside him on the inside line heading into the Senna ‘S’.
Hadjar defended robustly, forcing Lawson to take a tight line. As they navigated the corner, their wheels came within inches of making contact. Hadjar held his ground on the outside, but Lawson’s car twitched as he fought for grip on the inside curb. The two drivers raced side-by-side through the complex, refusing to yield, before Hadjar finally managed to gain a slight advantage on the exit.
The move was a high-risk gamble from both drivers, and a slight misjudgment or lock-up from either would have almost certainly resulted in a double DNF, wiping away a hard-earned point for the Faenza-based team.
Relieved Team, Tense Debrief
In the end, Isack Hadjar managed to hold off the charge to secure P10, with Liam Lawson crossing the line just tenths of a second behind in P11.
While the team was undoubtedly relieved to have avoided a costly crash, the incident will almost certainly be a major topic of discussion in the post-race debrief. Both drivers demonstrated their aggressive racing spirit, but the near-miss highlights the fine line between healthy competition and a team disaster, especially with both drivers vying for a potential future seat at the senior Red Bull Racing team.
Sources
- L’Équipe. « Grosse frayeur chez Racing Bulls, Hadjar et Lawson proches de l’accrochage dans le dernier tour. » (November 9, 2025).
- Sky Sports F1. « Racing Bulls ‘heart-in-mouth’ moment as Hadjar and Lawson almost collide. » (November 9, 2025).
- Motorsport.com. « Hadjar on Lawson scrap: ‘It was hard racing, but we kept it clean… just!' » (November 9, 2025).