Lawson baffled as stewards clear team-mate Lindblad after floor-wrecking Baku collision

Liam Lawson left Baku frustrated and confused after stewards declined to penalise his Racing Bulls team-mate Arvid Lindblad for a restart collision at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix that punched a hole in Lawson’s floor and effectively ended his afternoon as a competitive proposition.

The incident unfolded at the Turn 1 restart following a safety car triggered by Alexander Albon’s lap-30 crash. As Franco Colapinto locked up heavily and triggered a chain reaction that eliminated both Pierre Gasly and Lando Norris, Lindblad braked later than Lawson and Esteban Ocon ahead of him, became sandwiched between the two cars, and sent Lawson into a spin.

Stewards ruled that the collision was caused by “the restricted space available to [Lindblad] and the chain reaction caused by the incident ahead”, clearing the British rookie of any penalty. Lawson, speaking before he had reviewed the footage, was unconvinced.

“Coming into Turn 1, I had massive boost lag and I didn’t have any power, so Esteban was next to me,” the New Zealander explained. “I tried to give him space and then I just got hit from my left so hard that it put a hole in the floor, and we couldn’t really fight after that. I don’t really know what happened.”

Lawson acknowledged the awkward dynamic of criticising a team-mate’s escape from punishment but made his personal view plain. “I don’t understand it, because I got hit so hard that it put a hole in my floor. I was just turning for the corner, giving the guy space. From where I’m sitting I don’t understand, but let’s say it’s great for the team.”

Lindblad apologised to Lawson at the first opportunity and repeated that apology in the media pen, though he also attributed part of the blame to Ocon moving under braking — a claim the available footage does not appear to support. “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,” the rookie said.

The stewards’ verdict meant Lindblad kept whatever points he scored, a result that ultimately contributed to what the team described as an unexpectedly decent afternoon for Racing Bulls overall — cold comfort for Lawson, who was left to nurse a damaged car through the remainder of the race.