{'I could have killed them' - Lawson encounters close call with F1 safety personnel
Formula 1 competitor Liam Lawson stated he came dangerously close to a potentially fatal incident during Sunday's Mexican Grand Prix when two safety personnel ran across the track right in his path
The alarming incident took place on the third rotation when track officials were seen on the track as Lawson was getting back on the race following an quick visit to the pits to change his damaged front wing
Racer's Instant Response
Immediately after, the Formula 1 racer Lawson radioed to his pit wall engineer saying: "Is this for real? Could you believe what happened? I could have... killed them"
"I genuinely couldn't process what I was witnessing"
"I exited on a new set of hards, and then I got to Turn One and unexpectedly appeared two guys running across the track"
"I nearly hit one of them, truthfully, it was extremely hazardous"
Safety Concerns Raised
"Clearly there's been a communication breakdown at some point but This is the first time I've faced that before, and I haven't previously witnessed that in the past. It's completely unacceptable"
"We cannot comprehend how on a active circuit safety personnel can be authorized to just run across the track in such a way. I have no idea why, I'm sure we'll get some kind of clarification, but this must never be repeated"
Official Investigation Underway
The sport's regulatory authority, the International Automobile Federation (FIA), is thoroughly reviewing the situation
"Following a turn one incident, track officials was notified that debris was present on the track at the apex of that corner" stated the regulatory authority
"On lap three, safety personnel were alerted and placed on standby to enter the track and recover the debris once every vehicle had gone by"
"Immediately when it was understood that Lawson had made a pit stop, the directives to deploy personnel were canceled and a safety warning flag was shown in that zone"
"Our inquiry continues what happened after that point"
