{'I could have killed them' - Lawson faces close call with Formula 1 safety personnel

Liam Lawson in Mexican Grand Prix
Liam Lawson was forced out of Sunday's Mexico City Grand Prix after suffering front wing damage

Formula 1 racer Liam Lawson disclosed he barely escaped a potentially deadly incident during Sunday's Mexican Grand Prix when two safety personnel darted across the track immediately ahead of his car

The dangerous situation happened on the third rotation when marshals were seen on the track as Lawson was rejoining the race following an early pitstop to swap his compromised front wing

Driver's Immediate Reaction

Immediately after, the Formula 1 racer Lawson communicated to his pit wall engineer saying: "You've got to be joking? Could you believe what happened? I nearly... ended their lives"

"I genuinely couldn't process what I was observing"

"I exited on a brand new hard tyres, and then I got to Turn One and suddenly there were two individuals sprinting across the track"

"I almost collided with one of them, frankly, it was so dangerous"

Track Safety Questioned

"Evidently there's been a communication breakdown somewhere but I've never experienced that before, and I haven't really seen that in the past. It's completely unacceptable"

"We cannot comprehend how on a ongoing race track track officials can be allowed to just sprint across the track like that. I have no idea why, I'm certain we'll get some kind of clarification, but this absolutely cannot recur"

Formal Inquiry in Progress

F1's overseeing organization, the FIA, is actively examining the circumstances

"Subsequent to a first corner event, track officials was informed that wreckage remained on the track at the critical section of that bend" commented the regulatory authority

"On lap three, marshals were notified and placed on standby to go onto the racing surface and clear the fragments once every vehicle had gone by"

"Immediately when it was understood that Lawson had pitted, the orders to send personnel were canceled and a safety warning flag was raised in that section"

"The examination is ongoing what transpired subsequent to that time"

Lorraine Stone
Lorraine Stone

A tech enthusiast and digital strategist with over a decade of experience in helping businesses thrive online.