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The Mexican Grand Prix produced no shortage of drama, but one of the scariest moments came early in the race when Liam Lawson narrowly avoided hitting two marshals who were unexpectedly on track. The FIA has since opened an investigation and released an official statement addressing the alarming incident.
Lawson’s race was already off to a rough start after contact in Turn 1, which left his Racing Bulls car damaged and forced him to pit for repairs. But as he exited the pit lane and rejoined the track, the New Zealander was suddenly confronted with two marshals standing on the racing line near Turn 1. The marshals, who were reportedly clearing debris from an earlier collision, managed to sprint clear just in time — avoiding what could have been a major accident. A visibly shaken Lawson later told reporters that his team had immediately sought clarification from the FIA.
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Shortly after the race, the FIA released its first statement explaining the circumstances:
“After an incident at Turn 1, Race Control was informed of debris at the apex of the corner. On lap 3, marshals were placed on standby to enter the track and clear the debris once all cars had passed Turn 1.”
However, confusion arose when Lawson unexpectedly returned from the pits at that exact moment — catching both the marshals and Race Control off guard. The FIA acknowledged a failure in communication that led to the near miss:
“Once it became clear that Lawson had entered the pit lane, the instruction to deploy marshals was withdrawn, and double-waved yellows were shown in that sector. We are still investigating why the message did not properly reach all personnel.”
In other words, the marshals stepped onto the circuit believing it was clear — unaware that Lawson was exiting the pits. Lawson retired a few laps later due to the earlier damage but expressed his concern after the race, calling the situation “completely unacceptable.”
The FIA later issued a second statement, this time addressing the Virtual Safety Car period triggered by Carlos Sainz’s spin in the final laps, another controversial moment in an already chaotic Mexican Grand Prix weekend. The governing body confirmed that both incidents are under active review, promising a “thorough analysis” to prevent similar situations from happening again.
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