Liam Lawson called out for terrifying Mexican GP moment that 'could've killed' F1 marshals

Mexico's FIA-sanctioned motorsport governing body, OMDAI, has accused Liam Lawson of failing to slow sufficiently under double-waved yellow flags at the Mexican Grand Prix. The Racing Bulls driver encountered two marshals on the track at Turn One in a scary incident last weekend.

Lawson picked up damage at the start of last Sunday's race and pitted on the opening lap for a new nosecone. He emerged from the pit lane to discover that marshals had been dispatched to clear away some debris at Turn One.

The New Zealander was taken aback by the discovery and was left audibly shaken on the radio when discussing the terrifying near-miss with his team. He exclaimed: "Wait, the f***? Oh my God, are you kidding me? Did you just see that?" Lawson then added: "I could've f***ing killed him, mate."

The FIA's investigation into the incident is still ongoing, but OMDAI have published their own verdict. "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," a statement read.

"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."

The statement continued: "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.

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"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."

Lawson was still shaken up after climbing out of the cockpit. "I honestly couldn't believe what I was seeing," he told the media. "I got to Turn One, 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. It's pretty unacceptable. We obviously can't understand how, on a live track, marshals can be allowed to just run across the track like that. I mean, I have no idea why, but I'm sure we'll get some explanation."