The FIA is investigating why two marshals crossed the track in front of Liam Lawson’s Racing Bulls car in a near-miss in the early laps of the Mexico City Grand Prix.
Lawson had pitted for a new nosecone at the end of the race’s second lap having sustained damage to his car in contact with Williams’ Carlos Sainz at the start, one of several incidents through the field into the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez’s first corner.
As he rejoined the track on lap three, double-waved yellow flags were showing as Lawson entered the first complex of corners, with the two marshals running across the track in front of him as he exited Turn 1.
In a statement confirming it was looking into the circumstances of the incident, F1’s governing body said: “Following a Turn 1 incident, Race Control was informed that debris was present on the track at the apex of that corner.
“On lap 3, marshals were alerted and placed on standby to enter the track and recover the debris once all cars had passed Turn 1.
“As soon as it became apparent that Lawson had pitted, the instructions to dispatch marshals were rescinded, and a double yellow flag was shown in that area. We are still investigating what occurred after that point.”
Double-waved yellow flags signify that drivers must reduce their speed significantly, cannot overtake and must be prepared to change direction or stop due to the presence of a hazard on track and/or marshals being on or beside the circuit.
The FIA statement added: “We would like to underline our respect and appreciation for the local ASN, OMDAI, as well as the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez and their marshals, who are volunteers and play a vital role in the safe and successful running of our sport.
“Their professionalism and dedication are invaluable to every event we stage.”
With the side of his car having been badly damaged in his lap-one clash with Sainz, Lawson was forced to retire from the race on lap five.
Formula 1’s title race continues in Brazil with a Sprint weekend at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix on November 7-9, live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – no contract, cancel anytime
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: skynews.com
