Liam Lawson questioned the stewards\u2019 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\u2019s car, leaving a hole in its floor and compromising the New Zealander\u2019s race.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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<\/strong> was required.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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. \u201cGreat for the team, yeah, obviously I\u2019m not going to go and protest my team-mate \u2014 but I don\u2019t understand it because I got hit so hard that it put a hole in my floor,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lawson maintained that he had left room for the car alongside him as he entered Turn 1. \u201cI was just turning for the corner, giving the guy space. So where I\u2019m sitting, I don\u2019t understand, but let\u2019s say it\u2019s great for the team,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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\u2019s long straight before the restart, leaving him with a poorly prepared battery as they approached the first corner. \u201cIt 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,\u201d he said. \u201cI don\u2019t know what was happening at the front, but it was pretty poorly managed in the sense that the field wasn\u2019t bunched up.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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. \u201cEveryone 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 \u2014 basically moved under braking, so [I] had to take avoiding action, which meant I locked the front slightly and I hit Liam,\u201d he said. That was Lindblad\u2019s account of the incident<\/strong>; Lawson said he had been turning into the corner while leaving space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lindblad acknowledged that the collision cost Racing Bulls an opportunity to score with both cars. \u201cObviously I\u2019ve apologised to him already; I\u2019ve apologised to the team because it\u2019s 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,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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. \u201cIn the end, it\u2019s a 2km straight, tyres are cold, brakes are cold, batteries are obviously a new problem. When everyone\u2019s going-and-stopping it\u2019s pretty dangerous and I think we need to understand why,\u201d Lindblad said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Racing Bulls collision took place behind the separate crash involving Franco Colapinto, Pierre Gasly and Lando Norris<\/a>. 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<\/strong> over Lindblad\u2019s contact with Lawson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia<\/a> takes place at Sepang on Sunday, 4 October 2026<\/strong>. The race starts at 08:00 BST, 03:00 US Eastern time and 15:00 in Malaysia<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kimi Antonelli leads with 302 points<\/strong>, 66 ahead of Mercedes teammate George Russell, who has 236. Russell reduced the gap by 15 points<\/a> with his Azerbaijan GP victory.<\/p>\n\n\n\nF1 today: FAQ<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
When is the next F1 race after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Who leads the 2026 F1 championship after Baku?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What penalty will Franco Colapinto serve at the next F1 race?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n