A strong incident marked the Miami GP last Sunday (3), involving drivers Pierre Gasly and Liam Lawson. Despite the severity of the collision, the stewards decided, after detailed analysis, not to apply a penalty to the Racing Bulls driver.
Read more F1: Sainz explains nervous radio message after overtaking Verstappen
The decision was made based on an investigation that included telemetry data, images, and radio communications. According to the stewards, there was confirmation of a technical problem in Lawson’s car moments before the contact. The official report highlighted: “The driver of car 30 explained that, shortly before the collision, he had a technical problem as his gearbox failed during braking. The stewards reviewed the onboard data and telemetry and confirmed that there was clearly a gearbox failure moments before the incident in question. The radio communications were also consistent with the fact that there was a gearbox failure.”
The document also pointed out that there was no way for the driver to foresee or avoid the mechanical failure: “Therefore, we accept the driver’s explanation that it was a failure of a mechanical part in the car and that there was nothing he could do to avoid the collision. We also considered whether the driver of car 30 would have been able to anticipate the gearbox failure and decided that it would not have been possible for him to do so.”
Based on these factors, the stewards concluded: “Given the circumstances, the stewards determine that a mechanical failure, and not a driving error, was the cause of the collision and therefore the driver of car 32 was not at fault for the collision. For this reason, we are taking no further action,” they concluded.
Read more FIA President on Verstappen’s chance of leaving: «If he leaves, F1 goes on»
The accident occurred early in the race, on the fifth lap, when Gasly was trying to overtake Lawson on the outside at the entry of turn 17, in the final sector of the circuit. As detailed in the report: “Car 10 (Pierre Gasly) was attempting an overtake on the outside of car 30 (Liam Lawson) at the entry of turn 17. Car 10 was clearly ahead before the apex of the corner and had established his rights according to the Driving Standards Guidelines. A significant collision occurred and car 10 was thrown against the barriers, with the car flipping and getting stuck in the TechPro.”
With the impact, the Alpine car spun and hit hard, even “bouncing” on the track. Still, Gasly emerged unscathed from the accident, with no major physical consequences.
Read more F1: Meteoric rise puts Antonelli as a possible rival to Verstappen
