Liam Lawson at the 2023 Italian Grand Prix at Monza Photo: PHOTOSPORT
New Zealand driver Liam Lawson suffered an early exit from Qatar Grand Prix sprint race on Sunday as Max Verstappen went on to seal the Formula One title.
After qualifying near the back of the grid in 18th place, Lawson struck gravel on the turn two of the first lap and never recovered.
The 21-year-old will have a chance to atone when he races the feature race on Monday, which is likely to be his final drive this season for AlphaTauri before Australian Daniel Ricciardo returns from injury.
The day was dominated by Verstappen, who added his name to the list of triple world champions after Red Bull team-mate and sole title rival Sergio Perez crashed out.
Mexican Perez needed to finish in the top three to keep the title open for another day but his hopes ended in a cloud of dust after tangling with Alpine's Esteban Ocon and Haas's Nico Hulkenberg on lap 11.
The Red Bull was then stuck in the gravel, with Perez stepping out.
That meant Verstappen, who started third and finished second behind McLaren's Oscar Piastri, was the champion for the third year in a row with an unassailable lead of 184 points and only 172 left to win.
Team boss Christian Horner read out a roll call of greats over the radio after the 26-year-old Dutch driver crossed the finish line.
"Max, you are a three-times world champion. That's unbelievable. It's been an incredible year for you," said Horner.
Verstappen, who has won 13 of 16 grands prix so far including 10 in a row, replied: "Yeah, unbelievable guys. I don't know what to say. Thank you for providing me with such a car. It's been a lot of fun this year."
He also became the second youngest triple world champion after now-retired German Sebastian Vettel, who secured the third of his four crowns with Red Bull in 2012 at the age of 25, and the first to win the title in a sprint event.
Piastri's success ended Red Bull's domination of the sprints this season and earned the Australian rookie his first victory in F1, even if not a proper grand prix for the record books.
- Reuters