New video footage has surfaced revealing the perilously close encounter Liam Lawson had with two marshals who dashed across the track at the Mexico City Grand Prix. The Red Bull Racing driver had to slow down abruptly to avert a potential disaster during the third lap of the race weekend.
The marshals stationed at turn one had been instructed to wait until all cars had passed before entering the track to clear debris that had been reported. Unfortunately, they were unaware that Lawson had made a pit stop to replace his damaged front wing after the first lap.
In a shocked reaction over the radio, the 23-year-old expressed his disbelief at the situation, exclaiming, “The f***? Oh my god are you kidding me? Did you just see that? Oh my god dude. I could have f***ing killed them mate.”
Subsequent footage from the sidelines illustrated the gravity of the danger the marshals faced, highlighting Lawson’s quick reflexes that played a crucial role in avoiding a potential catastrophe. Even after the conclusion of the Grand Prix, Lawson remained astounded by the incident.
Reflecting on the incident, Lawson remarked, “I honestly couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I came out on a new set of hards, and then I got to Turn One and there were just two dudes running across the track. 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, and I haven’t really seen that in the past. It’s pretty unacceptable.”
He further emphasized the need for clarity in track safety procedures, stating, “We can’t understand how on a live track marshals can be allowed to just run across the track like that. I have no idea why. I’m sure we’ll get some sort of explanation, but it really can’t happen again.”
Following the incident, the FIA issued a statement addressing the dangerous situation and announced an ongoing investigation to determine the sequence of events that led to the incident.
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