Liam Lawson questioned the stewards’ decision not to penalise Racing Bulls teammate Arvid Lindblad after their collision at the 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix on Saturday (26). Lindblad locked up at Turn 1 during a Safety Car restart and hit Lawson’s car, leaving a hole in its floor and compromising the New Zealander’s race.

Lawson was alongside Esteban Ocon in the braking zone when Lindblad arrived behind them. The stewards noted and investigated the incident before deciding, within approximately 20 minutes of the collision, that no further action was required.

Asked about the ruling, Lawson said he would not protest against his teammate, whose seventh-place finish secured points for Racing Bulls. He nevertheless struggled to understand the decision given the force of the impact. “Great for the team, yeah, obviously I’m not going to go and protest my team-mate — but I don’t understand it because I got hit so hard that it put a hole in my floor,” he said.

Lawson maintained that he had left room for the car alongside him as he entered Turn 1. “I was just turning for the corner, giving the guy space. So where I’m sitting, I don’t understand, but let’s say it’s great for the team,” he added.

Lindblad apologised to Lawson and Racing Bulls after the race. The rookie said the cars in his part of the field had repeatedly accelerated and slowed along Baku’s long straight before the restart, leaving him with a poorly prepared battery as they approached the first corner. “It was an absolute mess. I think as you see on almost all safety car restarts here in Baku it gets quite chaotic in Turn 1,” he said. “I don’t know what was happening at the front, but it was pretty poorly managed in the sense that the field wasn’t bunched up.”

Explaining the moments before the contact, Lindblad said he had been preparing to overtake Ocon but had to change course when the Haas driver moved. “Everyone braked a little bit too late in Turn 1 and I was going to make the move on Esteban and he moved in the last minute — basically moved under braking, so [I] had to take avoiding action, which meant I locked the front slightly and I hit Liam,” he said. That was Lindblad’s account of the incident; Lawson said he had been turning into the corner while leaving space.

Lindblad acknowledged that the collision cost Racing Bulls an opportunity to score with both cars. “Obviously I’ve apologised to him already; I’ve apologised to the team because it’s not something you want, because there could have been two of us in the points today, but also at the same time we take the result,” he said.

The rookie had only just finished the race when he spoke and said he had not yet reviewed the incident in detail. He nevertheless expected the drivers to discuss the restarts at their next briefing. In his view, the field should remain grouped at a lower speed before accelerating together. “In the end, it’s a 2km straight, tyres are cold, brakes are cold, batteries are obviously a new problem. When everyone’s going-and-stopping it’s pretty dangerous and I think we need to understand why,” Lindblad said.

The Racing Bulls collision took place behind the separate crash involving Franco Colapinto, Pierre Gasly and Lando Norris. Colapinto received a ten-second penalty for that incident, converted into a five-place grid drop for the next race because he retired. The stewards took no further action over Lindblad’s contact with Lawson.

F1 today: FAQ

When is the next F1 race after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix?

The Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia takes place at Sepang on Sunday, 4 October 2026. The race starts at 08:00 BST, 03:00 US Eastern time and 15:00 in Malaysia.

Who leads the 2026 F1 championship after Baku?

Kimi Antonelli leads with 302 points, 66 ahead of Mercedes teammate George Russell, who has 236. Russell reduced the gap by 15 points with his Azerbaijan GP victory.

What penalty will Franco Colapinto serve at the next F1 race?

Colapinto has a five-place grid penalty for the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia after causing the Baku collision involving Pierre Gasly and Lando Norris.

Why was Arvid Lindblad not penalised for hitting Liam Lawson in Baku?

The stewards investigated the Turn 1 collision and decided no further action was necessary. Their decision frustrated Lawson, whose car sustained floor damage.