Mexican federation blames Lawson for marshal scare

Mexico’s national motorsport federation has astonishingly suggested Liam Lawson was partly to blame for the near-miss with two marshals during Sunday’s Mexican Grand Prix.

The Racing Bulls driver was left stunned after narrowly avoiding the officials, calling the incident “pretty unacceptable.”

“I honestly couldn’t believe what I was seeing,” Lawson said. “Obviously there’s been a miscommunication somewhere, but I’ve never experienced that before. We can’t understand how on a live track marshals can be allowed to just run across. It really can’t happen again.”

The FIA initially hinted the fault lay with local organisers, saying marshals had been told to stand down once Lawson entered the pits.

“We are still investigating what occurred after that point,” a statement read. However, OMDAI - the Organizacion Mexicana de Automovilismo Internacional - later issued a statement arguing Lawson failed to adjust his line despite seeing the marshals on track.

“Onboard footage shows that as Lawson approached Turn 1, the marshals were clearly visible carrying out intervention procedures,” the body said.

“The proximity of the car to the work area shows that marshals were still active, performing cleaning and safety tasks.

“The images clearly show that Lawson maintained his steering angle without changing trajectory, even though the marshals were crossing to return to their post.”