🔗 Share this article

Formula 1 driver Liam Lawson disclosed he narrowly avoided a potentially deadly accident during Sunday's Mexico City Grand Prix when a pair of track officials crossed the track immediately ahead of his car

The dangerous situation happened on the third lap when safety workers were spotted on the circuit as Lawson was getting back on the race following an early pitstop to change his broken nose section

Competitor's Live Reaction

Moments later, Racing Bulls driver Lawson radioed to his race engineer saying: "Are you kidding me? Did you just see that? I nearly... ended their lives"

"I truly couldn't comprehend what I was seeing"

"I exited on a brand new hard tyres, and then I arrived at Turn One and there were just two individuals sprinting across the track"

"I came close to striking one of them, honestly, it was extremely hazardous"

Security Issues Highlighted

"Clearly there's been a failure in communication somewhere but This is the first time I've faced that before, and I can't recall observing that in the past. It's absolutely inexcusable"

"We fail to grasp how on a ongoing race track track officials can be allowed to just dash across the track like that. I have no idea why, I'm sure we'll get some sort of explanation, but this absolutely cannot recur"

Formal Inquiry in Progress

Formula 1's governing body, the International Automobile Federation (FIA), is thoroughly reviewing the circumstances

"After an occurrence at turn one, the race directors was advised that fragments were located on the track at the critical section of that bend" declared the FIA

"In the third rotation, safety personnel were informed 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"Immediately when it was understood that Lawson had entered the pits, the directives to deploy marshals were withdrawn and a safety warning flag was displayed in that area"

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