Liam Lawson has been defended by the FIA for his driving in the Mexico City Grand Prix, after the Mexican automobile club accused him of not respecting yellow flags.
The FIA is investigating how two track marshals were running across the circuit as Lawson took Turn 1 early in Sunday’s race, with the New Zealander saying “I could have f***ing killed them” on team radio and calling the incident unacceptable after getting out of his car. On Thursday, the FIA-sanctioned Mexican federation – Organizacion Mexicana De Automovilismo Internacional (OMDAI) – published a lengthy document outlining the timeline of the incident that appeared to criticize Lawson’s actions at the time.
“Upon rejoining the track, Lawson encounters panel three displaying ‘double yellow flags,’ the team alerts the driver by radio well, as the track marshals’ post waving physical double yellow flags, indicating the presence of danger and personnel working on the circuit,” OMDAI said.
“It should be noted that the Racing Bulls team informed the driver that there was debris on the track and that this section was under a double yellow flag, so that he should take extreme precautions when driving through the area. Therefore, at that moment, the driver had to significantly reduce his speed, refrain from overtaking, and be prepared to stop if necessary, in compliance with current safety regulations.
“When analyzing the sequence from the camera on board the car, it can be seen that driver Liam Lawson, as he approaches Turn 1, begins to turn to take the racing line, at which point the presence of the track marshals is clearly visible as they carry out their intervention procedures to collect the pieces that had been left behind as a result of the previous contact. The proximity of the car to the work area shows that the track marshals were still active within the risky area, performing cleaning and safety tasks on the circuit.
“The images clearly show that driver Liam Lawson maintains the steering wheel angle of his car when taking Turn 1, without changing his trajectory, even though the track marshals were crossing the track to return to their post. This action occurs while personnel were still working in the area, which shows that the driver did not interrupt his line despite the obvious presence of marshals.”
The FIA has not taken kindly to the criticism of Lawson, making clear that the Racing Bulls driver had significantly reduced his speed in compliance with the yellow flags.
“Whilst the investigation remains ongoing, we acknowledge that any situation where marshals find themselves on track in front of oncoming cars is something we never want to see, and hence it is natural that such an incident will provoke concern and numerous comments,” an FIA statement read. “It is fortunate this incident did not result in any serious consequences, but we are conducting an internal investigation to understand exactly what happened and to identify any areas where procedures can be improved.
“We are collaborating openly and transparently for this purpose with the OMDAI (Mexican Automobile Club) and with Racing Bulls Formula 1 team, with the ultimate objective to achieve our common aim, which is to always improve the safety of our sport.
“As with all serious incidents, the full analysis will take some time, as it involves collecting and reviewing all relevant evidence, including radio communications in multiple languages from the various parties involved, and synchronizing all of these diverse inputs. The findings will be shared once the review is complete.
“Having analyzed the telemetry from the incident, we can confirm that the driver of car No. 30, Liam Lawson, slowed appropriately and reacted correctly to the double yellow flags displayed in the area, braking earlier than in other laps and passing significantly slower than racing speed into Turn 1. He is not at fault in this incident.
“Finally, we would like to express our sincere thanks to the volunteers and marshals for their professionalism and dedication – without them, our sport could not operate safely.”