The FIA has defended Liam Lawson after the Mexican Automobile Club accused him of not respecting the yellow flag over his driving at the Mexico City Grand Prix.
The FIA is investigating how two track marshals ran across the circuit as Lawson entered Turn 1 early in Sunday’s race, and the New Zealander said on his team radio after getting out of his car that the incident was unacceptable, saying: “I could have killed them with that shit.” On Thursday, the FIA-recognized Mexican federation (OMDAI) released a lengthy document outlining the timeline of events, seemingly criticizing Lawson’s actions at the time.
“Upon returning to the track, Lawson encountered Panel 3 displaying a ‘double yellow flag’ and the team radioed to warn the driver while the track marshal post waved a physical double yellow flag to indicate the presence of a hazard and personnel working on the circuit,” OMDAI said.
“It should be noted that the Racing Bulls team advised drivers to use extreme caution when driving in the area as there was debris on the track and a double yellow flag had been issued for this section. Drivers at that time were therefore required to significantly reduce speed, refrain from overtaking and be prepared to stop if necessary, in accordance with current safety regulations.”
“Analysis of the sequence from the camera mounted on the car shows that driver Liam Lawson begins to turn to take the racing line as he approaches Turn 1. At that point, the presence of track marshals is clearly visible carrying out intervention steps to retrieve debris left as a result of the previous contact. The proximity of the car to the work area shows that track marshals were still operating within the hazardous area, carrying out cleaning and safety work on the circuit.”
“The images clearly show that driver Liam Lawson maintained the angle of the car’s steering wheel as it passed Turn 1 without changing its trajectory, even though the track marshal was crossing the track to return to his post. This action occurred while personnel were still working in the area. This shows that the driver did not interrupt the line despite the apparent presence of the marshal.”
The FIA did not take kindly to criticism of Lawson, revealing that the Racing Bulls driver slowed down significantly following a yellow flag.
“While the investigation is ongoing, we acknowledge that a situation where a marshal is on track in front of oncoming traffic is something we never want to see, so it is natural that an incident like this should cause concern and much comment,” the FIA said in a statement. “While we are fortunate that this incident did not have serious consequences, we are conducting an internal investigation to understand exactly what happened and identify areas where we can improve our procedures.
“To this end, we are collaborating openly and transparently with OMDAI (Automobile Club de Mexico) and the Racing Bulls F1 Team, with the ultimate goal of achieving our common goal of constantly improving the safety of the sport.”
“As with all major incidents, a complete analysis will take some time as it will involve gathering and reviewing all relevant evidence, including multilingual radio communications from various parties, and synchronizing all of these diverse inputs. Findings will be shared once the review is complete.”
“Analysis of the telemetry of the incident confirms that the driver of the No. 30 car, Liam Lawson, slowed appropriately, reacted correctly to the double yellow flags posted in the area, braked earlier than he would have done on the rest of the lap, and entered Turn 1 at a speed significantly below racing speed. He is not at fault for this incident.”
“Finally, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to our volunteers and marshals for their professionalism and dedication. Without them, our sport could not operate safely.”
