The FIA has dismissed criticism of the Mexican Motorsport Federation’s Liam Lawson by insisting the Racing Bulls driver was “not at fault” for barely missing contact with the marshal during Sunday’s race.
On the third lap of the Mexico City Grand Prix, Lawson narrowly avoided a collision with two marshals sent to clear debris from the first section, an incident that prompted the sport’s governing body to launch a post-race investigation.
Even though the investigation is not complete, ODMAI, Mexico’s FIA-sanctioned motorsport federation, issued a statement on Thursday accusing Lawson of not slowing down enough under twice-waved yellow flags and failing to change his line into the first corner as he approached the marshals.
The FIA did not address the ODMAI statement but issued its own statement on Friday absolving Lawson of any wrongdoing.
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Highlights of the Mexico City Grand Prix.
In a statement, the FIA said: “While investigations continue, we acknowledge that a situation where a peace officer is standing on the track in front of an oncoming vehicle is something we never want to see. It is therefore understandable that such an incident would raise concerns and numerous comments.”
“We are fortunate that this incident did not result in any serious consequences, but we are conducting an internal investigation to determine exactly what happened and where we can improve our processes.”
“We are working openly and transparently with OMDAI (Mexican Automobile Club) and the Racing Bulls Formula One Team for this purpose, with the ultimate goal of achieving the common goal of improving safety in the sport.
“As with any serious incident, the full analysis will take some time as it will involve gathering and reviewing all relevant evidence, including multilingual radio communications from the various parties involved, and synchronizing all of these different inputs. Findings will be shared once the review is complete.
“After analyzing telemetry from the accident, we can confirm that Liam Lawson, the driver of car number 30, slowed appropriately and reacted correctly to the double yellow flags displayed in the area, braking earlier than the rest of the lap and passing through Turn 1 well below race speed. He is not at fault for this accident.”
Lawson was involved in a close call with two marshals at the Mexico City GP.
The incident appears to have been the result of marshals being placed on the track in the belief that the entire field had passed the opening corner at the start of lap 3, when Lawson had not yet passed the section where he had pitted for a new nose cone at the end of the second lap.
The FIA explained that marshals were dispatched immediately after Sunday’s race without realizing that Lawson had pitted, instructions to send them onto the track were canceled and double yellow flags were waved as soon as the oncoming Racing Bulls car was spotted.
A double-waved yellow flag indicates that drivers must slow down significantly, cannot overtake and must be prepared to swerve or stop because there is a hazard on the track or safety guards on or next to the circuit.
There are more extreme options that allow the race director to intervene, such as a virtual safety car, safety car or red flags.
The FIA added: “Finally, we would like to express our sincere thanks to the volunteers and marshals for their professionalism and dedication. Without them, our sport would not be able to operate safely.”
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