The FIA says that Liam Lawson is not at fault for the incident involving two marshals at the Mexican Grand Prix.

"Having analysed the telemetry from the incident, we can confirm that the driver of Car #30, Liam Lawson, slowed appropriately and reacted correctly to the double yellow flags displayed in the area, braking earlier than in other laps and passing significantly slower than racing speed into Turn 1," reads a statement issued by the sport's governing body.

"He is not at fault in this incident," it adds.

The statement follows that of OMDAI Sport Mexico, the Mexican motorsport federation, which laid the blame fully at the door of the Racing Bulls driver.

As the FIA's investigation continues the focus now is on why the marshals entered the track in the first place, as marshals in the area had been on standby to enter the track once the field had gone through Turn 1. However, Lawson had pitted as a result of accident damage, and it was because of this race director Rui Marques rescinded the order to enter the track to collect debris, with double yellow flags being shown in the area as Lawson rejoined.

In its statement, the OMDAI did not mention the rescinded order, focussing purely on Lawson driving through the double yellows.

Today's full statement from the FIA reads as follows:

"Whilst the investigation remains ongoing, we acknowledge that any situation where marshals find themselves on track in front of oncoming cars is something we never want to see, and hence it is natural that such an incident will provoke concern and numerous comments.

"It is fortunate this incident did not result in any serious consequences, but we are conducting an internal investigation to understand exactly what happened and to identify any areas where procedures can be improved.

"We are collaborating openly and transparently for this purpose with the OMDAI [Mexican Automobile Club] and with Racing Bulls Formula One Team, with the ultimate objective to achieve our common aim, which is to always improve the safety of our Sport.

As with all serious incidents, the full analysis will take some time, as it involves collecting and reviewing all relevant evidence, including radio communications in multiple languages from the various parties involved, and synchronising all of these diverse inputs. The findings will be shared once the review is complete.

"Finally, we would like to express our sincere thanks to the volunteers and marshals for their professionalism and dedication - without them, our sport could not operate safely."

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READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by Celtic Tiger, 13 hours ago

""...without them, our sport could not operate safely."
True, unless of course they ignore orders and flap about on a hot track while a car is approaching. OMDAI should have kept their gobs shut before trying to get out in front of this to save their precious pride only to end up looking like complete twits.
Marshals are an integral part of motor racing and their efforts are appreciated. However, this here just highlights why F1 needs to dip in their pockets and employ a full staff of highly trained, in sync group of passionate people to travel with the rest of the circus because absolutely no one wants to see something like what happened at the South African GP in '77."

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Lawson not at fault, says FIA

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