Red Bull junior Lawson spun on the opening lap after running wide at the exit of Turn 2 while battling with Nojiri for the lead, with Tadasuke Makino and Yuhi Sekiguchi both going airborne in the ensuing mayhem.
Although the Mugen team was able to repair Lawson's damaged car during the red flags and send him back out on track, he rejoined the field in last place, with a drive-through penalty for working under the intervention dealing further damage to his hopes of a recovery.
