Pérez fears serious F1 accident after near miss with Lawson in Baku

Summary

Sergio Pérez says he narrowly avoided a heavy collision with Liam Lawson during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
The Cadillac driver believes differences in power deployment between cars create dangerous closing speeds.
His warning follows other concerns raised in Baku about how quickly one 2026 F1 car can catch another.

Sergio Pérez has warned that Formula 1 risks a serious accident if it does not address the speed differences produced by its 2026 power units. The Cadillac driver said he came close to a heavy collision with Liam Lawson while defending his position during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix and wants the regulations reviewed.

Pérez’s concern centres on energy deployment. Two drivers can enter the same section of track with markedly different amounts of electrical power available. A car that is still deploying energy can close rapidly on one whose deployment has reduced, leaving its driver less time than expected to react.

Speaking after the race in Baku, Pérez said the first step was to examine what happened when he defended against Lawson. He described the difference in deployment and power between the cars as dangerous.

“I would have had a massive crash with Lawson,” Pérez said. He added that he feared “something bad is going to happen soon” unless the rules change.

The warning was based on an incident Pérez says he narrowly avoided. He did not report a collision with Lawson. His point was that the speed difference itself had made the situation hazardous, even though both drivers continued in the race.

Why does Pérez think the closing speeds are dangerous?

The 2026 cars depend much more heavily on electrical energy than the previous generation. How and where that energy is deployed can vary from one car to another, while its availability can also change over the course of a lap. Pérez argues that this makes it difficult to judge how fast a rival will arrive when defending on track.

He also pointed to differences between manufacturers. In Pérez’s assessment, Mercedes and Red Bull currently have strong power units, creating situations in which a driver can be caught in a part of the lap where the deployment from his own car is much weaker.

“The speed differential is too dangerous,” Pérez said. He expressed hope that the planned changes for 2027 would narrow that gap.

The FIA has already agreed regulatory changes for 2027 and 2028 addressing energy management, including adjustments to combustion-engine output, fuel flow and electrical deployment. Pérez’s warning concerns what drivers face during the remainder of 2026, before those future measures take effect.

Baku offered another example of the problem, although it was a separate incident. During practice, Lewis Hamilton slowed ahead of Lawson after his Ferrari lost power at the end of a lap. Hamilton explained that he had expected the gap to Lawson to be sufficient, but the other car closed much faster once his own speed dropped. The stewards reprimanded Hamilton for impeding Lawson.

Pérez’s near miss happened during the Grand Prix while he was defending his position. Taken together, the two accounts show why drivers are asking for clearer expectations about the closing speeds of the new cars. They do not establish that the same technical event caused both situations.

Sepang presents another test for the 2026 cars

Formula 1 returns this weekend at Sepang for the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia. Its long straights and fast corners will put energy deployment back in focus, although the way the cars behave there cannot be inferred directly from Baku.

Asked about the prospect of driving the 2026 cars through Sepang’s fast corners, Pérez offered a terse response: “We’d better not talk about it.” The first practice session on Friday will give drivers and teams their first current-generation F1 data from the Malaysian circuit.

F1 today: FAQ

Is there Formula 1 on today, 29 September?

No. There are no F1 track sessions on Tuesday. The next race weekend begins on Friday, 2 October, at Sepang in Malaysia.

When is the next F1 race?

The Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia takes place on Sunday, 4 October. It starts at 08:00 in the UK, 12:30 in India, 03:00 on the US East Coast and 18:00 in Sydney.