Lawson “not at fault” for marshal incident says FIA following criticism from Mexico’s OMDAI

The FIA has cleared Liam Lawson of blame for his role in a near-miss with two marshals during the Mexican Grand Prix.

In a statement the sport’s governing body said it has not yet completed its investigation into the incident at turn two on the third lap of Sunday’s race. It acknowledged Lawson’s near-miss with the pair could have had “serious consequences”.

However the sport’s governing body has stated Lawson was “not at fault in this incident”. It made the statement after Mexico’s FIA-sanctioned automobile club, the Organizacion Mexicana De Automovilismo Internacional, issued a statement criticising Lawson earlier this week.

“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,” said the FIA in a statement received by RaceFans.

“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 One Team, with the ultimate objective to achieve our common aim, which is to always improve the safety of our sport.”

The FIA explained why the outcome of its investigation is not available yet. “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 synchronising all of these diverse inputs,” it said. “The findings will be shared once the review is complete.”

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Nonetheless the FIA said its preliminary findings show Lawson responded correctly when he encountered the pair at the corner, which was covered by double waved yellow flags at the time.

“Having analysed the telemetry from the incident, we can confirm that the driver of car number 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 one,” said the FIA’s statement. “He is not at fault in this incident.”

On Wednesday the OMDAI issued a statement which accused Lawson of failing to adjust his line to account for the presence of marshals on the track. It also pointed out Lawson was required to slow down because of the yellow flags, without acknowledging he had done so.

The FIA added in its statement: “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.”

Racing Bulls did not respond to a request for comment.

Video of Lawson’s near-miss with marshals

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