The Liam Lawson incident at the 2025 Mexico City Grand Prix has reached a decisive moment following an official statement from the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), which has confirmed that the New Zealand driver “is not at fault” for the near miss with two marshals during the early stages of the race.
The verdict comes after significant scrutiny, both from Mexico’s motorsport federation and the broader Formula 1 community.
Lawson’s moment of alarm occurred on the third lap of the Grand Prix after an unscheduled pit stop forced by contact on the opening lap. As he re-joined the field, he encountered a hazard, not in the usual form of debris or a rival’s car, but two circuit marshals crossing the track in front of him at turn one while he was accelerating back to race pace.
The marshals had been previously positioned to clear debris, but in the time-sensitive environment of the race, the clearance to enter the track was revoked, yet they still proceeded onto the circuit.
Over the team radio, Lawson expressed his shock and outrage at the scenario. He reported in exasperation, “Mate. Oh my god, are you kidding me? Did you just see that? I could have fucking killed them.”
Speaking with the media afterward, he continued, “I honestly couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Boxed, came out on a new set of hards, and then I got to turn one and there were just two dudes running across the track.”
“I nearly hit one of them, honestly, it was so dangerous… Obviously there’s been a miscommunication somewhere but I’ve never experienced that before and I haven’t really seen that in the past.”
The incident prompted a sharp reaction from the Mexican motorsport federation, the OMDAI (Organización Mexicana de Automovilismo Internacional), which publicly accused Lawson of failing to react correctly under double-yellow flags and not altering his racing line despite visible marshals on track.
Specifically, the OMDAI statement argued that the driver did not sufficiently slow or modify his approach even though marshals were “clearly visible” to him.
The FIA also emphasised that the investigation remains ongoing, particularly to determine why marshals entered the track after the clearance to do so had been rescinded. “Whilst the investigation remains ongoing, we acknowledge that any situation where marshals find themselves on track in front of on-coming cars is something we never want to see, and hence it is natural that such an incident will provoke concern and numerous comments,” the FIA wrote.
The differentiation between the federations’ positions exposes deeper tensions about safety procedures, communication and responsibility in motorsport. On one hand, the OMDAI’s initial commentary attempted to place the onus on the driver; on the other, the FIA has reaffirmed that it is the organisation responsible for investigating the broader operational breakdown.