Mexico’s motorsport authority blames Lawson for near-miss with marshals in race

The FIA-sanctioned motorsport club of Mexico has blamed Liam Lawson for a near-miss with two marshals during Sunday’s race.

Lawson was shocked to encounter two marshals on the track between turns one and two on the third lap at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.

OMDAI Mexico issued a statement pointing out the area was covered by double waved yellow flags at the time, which obliged Lawson to reduce his speed.

“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,” said OMDAI’s statement.

“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,” it added. “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.”

Lawson did reduce his speed through the section compared to other laps. OMDAI also accused Lawson of failing to adjust his line through the corner despite the presence of marshals on the track.

“The images clearly show that driver Liam Lawson maintains the steering wheel angle of his car when taking turn one, 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 track.”

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The incident occured after the majority of the field passed through the first corners at the start of lap three, while Lawson pulled into the pits. The FIA issued a statement after the race on Sunday explaining the circumstances of the incident.

“On lap three, marshals were alerted and placed on standby to enter the track and recover the debris once all cars had passed turn one,” it said. “As soon as it became apparent that Lawson had pitted, the instructions to dispatch marshals were rescinded, and a double yellow flag was shown in that area.

“We are still investigating what occurred after that point,” the FIA added.

Video of Lawson’s near-miss with marshals

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