Formula One star Liam Lawson came within yards of of hitting a marshal during the Mexican Grand Prix on Sunday.
Lawson, who was ditched by Red Bull after just two races of the current Championship season, had a tough race in North America, retiring late on after a clash on the first corner.
The New Zealander broke his front wing in the incident with Alex Albon, and moved to the back of the field after he was forced to pit. And because he was so far last, he came across two marshals – who had been on the track to clear up debris amid the yellow flag – running across the track on the first corner.
Lawson ended up sending an X-rated message on his radio, saying: ‘Wait, the f***? Oh my God, are you kidding me? Did you just see that?
He added: ‘I could’ve f***ing killed him mate.’
Speaking after the race, meanwhile, Lawson, 23, said: ‘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.
WARNING: STRONG LANGUAGE
Liam Lawson came close to hitting a marshal during the Mexican Grand Prix on Sunday
Former Red Bull driver Lawson said on the team radio: ‘I could’ve f***ing killed him mate’
‘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.
‘It’s pretty unacceptable. We can’t understand how on a live track marshals can be allowed to just run across like that. I have no idea why, I’m sure we’ll get some sort of explanation, but it really can’t happen again.’
Despite Lawson finding himself back in the pits before the end of the race, Lando Norris found himself at the top of the drivers’ world championship standings after taking victory in Mexico.
The Brit is now just one point ahead of team-mate and rival Oscar Piastri, who finished fifth. Max Verstappen is a further 35 points back.
Norris, who was booed by large sections of the crowd, said after the race: ‘It’s one weekend at a time. So, you know, I’m happy. I’m focused on myself. I keep my head down, I ignore all of this, and, yeah, I keep to myself, and it’s working at the minute. So I’m happy.’
‘I love it, thank you guys. What a race, I could just keep my eyes forward and focus on what I was doing.
‘A pretty straightforward race for me which is just what I was after. A good start, a good launch and a good first lap, and I could go from there.’
