'Insane' twist puts blame on F1 driver Liam Lawson for near-miss after dangerous act by two marshals

The Mexican motorsport federation (OMDAI) has pointed the finger at Liam Lawson after a costly miscommunication nearly saw two marshals hit during the Mexico Grand Prix.

Lawson nearly collected the personnel on the track after leaving the pit lane on lap three after he was an unlucky victim of a chaotic opening lap.

ODMAI firmly planted the blame with the Racing Bulls' driver after arguing that Lawson should have been prepared "to stop if necessary" in the presence of personnel on the track.

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The FIA's Mexican body also argued that Lawson did not slow sufficiently under the double yellow flags.

"The Racing Bulls team informed the driver that there was debris on the track and that this section was under a double yellow flag," the statement reads.

"Therefore, at that moment, the driver had to significantly reduce his speed, refrain from overtaking, and be prepared to stop if necessary."

The federation brought detailed screenshots of Lawson's onboard to back its argument, saying he failed to change "his trajectory" off the racing line, thus he was to blame in the near-miss.

"The images clearly show that driver Liam Lawson maintains the steering wheel angle of his car when taking Turn 1, without changing his trajectory, even though the track marshals were crossing the track to return to their post," the statement added.

"This action occurs while personnel were still working in the area, which shows that the driver did not interrupt his line despite the obvious presence of marshals on the track."

This blame game has not been taken well by the wider motorsport community, most arguing that Lawson did not "break any rules" in the presence of marshals on track and that the ODMAI's statement was an "insane take."

Formula 1 broadcaster Alex Brundle wrote on X: "Liam did not break any of the rules covering the situation of marshals crossing the track in front of his car. Because there aren't any. Because it shouldn't happen. Hope that helps."

"INSANE take. F---ing embarrassing," added F1 podcaster Tommo McCluskey.

During the opening stages, Lawson was hit in a chain reaction of multiple drivers veering off track.

His front wing was damaged after contact with Carlos Sainz, ultimately ending his race.

As the Kiwi driver was leaving the pit lane on lap three, he was confronted by two marshals running desperately off the track to avoid being hit after they had been cleaning debris off the tarmac.

Lawson immediately jumped on the radio to fume at the miscommunication, as the marshals did not expect Lawson to be so far behind the lead pack.

"Wait, the f---? Oh my God, are you kidding me? Did you just see that?" Lawson said.

"I could've f---ing killed him mate."

After the race, Lawson branded the incident "unacceptable" and a costly "miscommunication."

"I honestly couldn't believe what I was seeing," he admitted to media.

"I got to Turn 1 and there were two dudes just running across the track. And 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, I've only seen that in the past. It's pretty unacceptable.

"We obviously can't understand how, on a live track, marshals can be allowed to just run across the track like that. I mean, I have no idea why, but I'm sure we'll get some explanation."

The FIA later put out a statement in reaction to the terrifying moment.

"Following a Turn 1 incident, Race Control was informed that debris was present on the track at the apex of that corner," the statement read.

"On lap three, marshals were alerted and placed on standby to enter the track and recover the debris once all cars had passed turn one.

"As soon as it became apparent that Lawson had pitted, the instructions to dispatch marshals were rescinded, and a double yellow flag was shown in that area."

The FIA's own investigation is still ongoing.

Lawson is in contention for a contract extension with Racing Bulls for the 2026 season, so every race to the end of the 2025 season is crucial for the 22-year-old's career.

Lando Norris was the eventual winner of the Mexico race, with Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen behind. Oscar Piastri finished fifth and lost his championship lead by one point to his McLaren teammate.