{'I could have killed them' - Lawson experiences near miss with Formula 1 marshals
Formula 1 driver Liam Lawson revealed he barely escaped a potentially fatal accident during Sunday's F1 event in Mexico when a pair of track officials darted across the track directly in front of him
The concerning event took place on the third lap when marshals were seen on the racing surface as Lawson was rejoining the race following an premature pit stop to replace his compromised front wing
Driver's Immediate Reaction
Shortly afterward, Racing Bulls driver Lawson communicated to his team engineer saying: "Are you kidding me? Did you just see that? I could have... killed them"
"I honestly couldn't believe what I was observing"
"I came out on a fresh hard compound tires, and then I got to Turn One and unexpectedly appeared two guys sprinting across the track"
"I nearly hit one of them, frankly, it was incredibly risky"
Security Issues Highlighted
"Obviously there's been a communication breakdown somewhere but I've never experienced that before, and I haven't previously witnessed that in the past. It's pretty unacceptable"
"We fail to grasp how on a active circuit safety personnel can be allowed to just sprint across the track like that. I have no idea why, I'm certain we'll get some sort of explanation, but this absolutely cannot recur"
Formal Inquiry in Progress
F1's overseeing organization, the global motorsport federation, is actively examining the circumstances
"Subsequent to a first corner event, track officials was advised that fragments were located on the track at the critical section of that bend" stated the regulatory authority
"During the third lap, marshals were informed and placed on standby to go onto the racing surface and clear the fragments once the entire field had cleared the area"
"As soon as it became apparent that Lawson had entered the pits, the orders to send marshals were rescinded and a safety warning flag was displayed in that zone"
"The examination is ongoing what occurred following that moment"
