Kiwi Liam Lawson has seen his final chance to impress his Red Bull Formula One bosses end in disappointment, as he failed to finish the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix after his engine gave out.
Since inheriting his Racing Bulls seat from Aussie Daniel Ricciardo in October, Lawson, 22, has tried to prove he deserves promotion from the development team into Red Bull's top line-up, led by four-time F1 champion Max Verstappen.
While Verstappen has done his part perfectly, Mexican sidekick Sergio Perez has not been able to keep Red Bull in contention for the prized constructors crown and has come under increased pressure to retain his drive next year.
If that decision was made today, the spot would likely go to Lawson's Racing Bulls teammate, Yuki Tsunoda, who finished 12 on the Uas Marina Circuit, while Perez joined Lawson in pitlane early.
"I don't know," shrugged Lawson afterwards when asked if he felt like he'd done enough to secure a race seat for 2025. "I've given it everything in every single session I've driven the car.
"The decision's up to them, so we'll see."
All three started together on the grid, with Perez qualifying 11th, Lawson 12th and Tsunoda 13th, but Perez spun out on the opening lap and stopped.
Lawson and Tsunoda were among the last to pit for new tyres, with the Kiwi reaching sixth on the track on lap 23. He pitted on the following lap, but was forced in again soon after with loose wheels.
He limped around at the back of the field until the final lap, when he was forced to abandon his smoking Honda short of the finish.
"It sucks," he admitted. "We actually had really, really good pace through the race.
"Even if I'm running out of the race and a lap down, I'm going to push anyway, because I'm trying to show something while I'm in the car. It was actually one of the better races I've done in my career, I gave it everything and we had good pace, but unfortunately, with the issue in the pits, that put us out of the race."
With the drivers championship out of reach, Brit Lando Norris won the final race, pacing McLaren to their first team title in 26 years, with Verstappen also spinning on the first lap and finishing sixth.
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