The Racing Bulls driver came across two marshals running across the circuit at Turn 1 after exiting the pits early in the race, narrowly avoiding what could have been a serious accident.
The moment, not shown on the race broadcast, prompted Lawson to express disbelief over team radio — “Wait, the fuck, oh my god, are you kidding me? Did you see that? Oh my god, dude. I could have fucking killed them, mate.”
After the race, Lawson labelled the situation “unacceptable,” saying he had never experienced anything like it.
“I honestly couldn’t believe what I was seeing,” he said.
“I got to Turn 1 and there were two dudes just running across the track. And I nearly hit one of them.
“Honestly, it was so dangerous. Obviously, there’s been a miscommunication somewhere, but I’ve never experienced that before, I’ve only seen that in the past.
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“It’s pretty unacceptable.”
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The FIA confirmed shortly after the race that it was investigating why the marshals had been deployed on a live circuit.
According to the governing body, marshals were placed on standby to clear debris from a first-lap collision but were instructed to hold position once Lawson entered the pit lane.
The FIA said those instructions were “rescinded” once it became clear Lawson had re-joined the track out of sequence with the main pack, with double yellow flags shown as a warning.
Despite the ongoing investigation, Mexico’s FIA affiliate, OMDAI Sport Mexico, has released its own findings, placing the responsibility for the near-miss on Lawson’s shoulders.
In a statement, the federation claimed Lawson had failed to sufficiently reduce speed or alter his line under the double yellow flag.
“When analysing the sequence from the camera onboard 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 statement said.
“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 on the track.”
OMDAI’s stance has drawn attention as it appears to contradict the FIA’s handling of the matter.
Reports indicate that FIA officials privately apologised to Lawson after the race, and the stewards — which include a local representative from Mexico — did not open any investigation into his driving at the time.
The incident remains under formal review, with the FIA yet to release its findings on how the near-miss occurred.
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