{'I could have killed them' - Lawson encounters close call with Formula 1 track officials
Formula 1 driver Liam Lawson stated he came dangerously close to a potentially fatal collision during Sunday's F1 event in Mexico when two safety personnel ran across the track directly in front of him
The concerning event happened on the third circuit when track officials were observed on the racing surface as Lawson was rejoining the race following an early pitstop to replace his broken nose section
Driver's Immediate Reaction
Shortly afterward, the Formula 1 racer Lawson communicated to his team engineer saying: "You've got to be joking? Did you witness that? I might have... taken their lives"
"I honestly couldn't believe what I was witnessing"
"I rejoined with a brand new hard tyres, and then I approached Turn One and suddenly there were two guys sprinting across the track"
"I nearly hit one of them, truthfully, it was incredibly risky"
Security Issues Highlighted
"Clearly there's been a failure in communication somehow but This is the first time I've faced that before, and I can't recall observing that in the past. It's pretty unacceptable"
"We fail to grasp how on a live track marshals can be authorized to just dash across the track in that manner. I have no idea why, I'm certain we'll get some kind of clarification, but this must never be repeated"
Formal Inquiry in Progress
Formula 1's governing body, the International Automobile Federation (FIA), is actively examining the events
"After an occurrence at turn one, the race directors was notified that debris was present on the track at the apex of that corner" declared the governing body
"In the third rotation, track officials were notified and placed on standby to enter the track and remove the wreckage once every vehicle had gone by"
"Immediately when it was understood that Lawson had pitted, the orders to send personnel were canceled and a safety warning flag was raised in that section"
"The examination is ongoing what occurred subsequent to that time"
