Racing Bulls avoid last-lap heartbreak as Isack Hadjar and Liam Lawson make contact

Racing Bulls narrowly avoided an embarrassing moment on the final lap of the Sao Paulo Grand Prix as their two cars fought hard on track.

Racing Bulls enjoyed a strong weekend in Sao Paulo, finishing seventh and eighth in Sunday’s race.

It could have ended very differently, with both cars nearly out of the race on the final lap.

Racing Bulls opted for different strategies with their two drivers.

Liam Lawson was on a one-stop strategy, giving him track position over Isack Hadjar at the end of the race.

Hadjar, on a two-stopper, was making progress in the final laps, overtaking Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg late on.

Hadjar then tried to pass Lawson on the final lap, with the pair banging wheels through the opening sequence of corners.

Both drivers came away from the contact unscathed, securing valuable points for the team at Interlagos.

Speaking after the race, Hadjar conceded he “pushed it a little too much” when trying to overtake his teammate.

“I pushed it a little too much,” Hadjar said. “Honestly, it was very, very fun.

“He went on a one-stop and at the very last lap, I’m on his gearbox, I think you can’t do any better than that.

“I tried and I overdid it, kind of my mistake. But just the strategy on the first couple of laps was not good enough.”

Lawson ‘respects’ Hadjar’s move

Lawson, who continues to fight for his F1 future, didn’t have an issue with Hadjar’s aggressive manoeuvre.

The Kiwi acknowledged that Hadjar “misjudged” the overtake but understood why he went for it, given it was the final lap.

“He was going for a move and it’s a type of corner that obviously curves in and he’s obviously trying to clear me before the braking, and I think he’s misjudged it,” he explained.

“But obviously we both came out of it, so it was okay, and more importantly for the team to have two cars seventh and eighth is great today.”

“It’s the last lap of a race — honestly, I think there’s no way that the team can expect or anybody can expect [him not to]. As much as it’s [not] the ideal thing to do, there’s no way that we’re not going to race for a position like that.

“So, I respect it. Obviously, we’re lucky that we came out of it, but it’s been a great weekend for the team.”