Liam Lawson shock as F1 team-mate Arvid Lindblad escapes penalty for Baku clash: “I don’t understand”

Liam Lawson says he doesn’t understand why Racing Bulls Formula 1 team-mate Arvid Lindblad went unpunished following their clash at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. 

Overshadowed by Baku’s other big team-mate collision involving the Alpine pair, the Racing Bulls of Lawson and Lindblad also came to blows at a safety restart during Saturday’s eventful race. 

Behind the multi-car carnage caused by an out-of-control Franco Colapinto, Lindblad braked late and ended up hitting Lawson, tipping the sister Racing Bulls car into a spin. 

The stewards investigated the incident but Lindblad escaped a penalty after the collision was deemed to have been caused by “the restricted space available to [Lindblad] and the chain reaction caused by the incident ahead.” 

Lawson, who suffered race-ruining damage in the clash, could not get his head around why no action was taken. 

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

“I’ve always tried to keep clear, and it’s been obviously aggressive at points this year, but… I don't know, going into Turn 1 there to try and fit through the middle of two cars like that, I don't think it was ever really going to happen.”

Lindblad went on to score strong points for Racing Bulls after pipping Esteban Ocon to seventh place in a drag-race to the line, while Lawson came home 12th. 

Asked if the stewards’ decision was good for the team, Lawson replied: “Great for the team. Obviously I'm not going to go and protest my team-mate - but 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.”

F1 rookie Lindblad apologised to Lawson in the media pen following the accident. 

“It was an absolute mess. I think as you see on almost all safety car restarts here in Baku it gets quite chaotic in Turn 1, I don't know what was happening at the front, but it was pretty poorly managed in the sense that the field wasn't bunched up,” Lindblad explained. 

“From where we were, me and Esteban, we'd gone - or Ollie [Bearman] - about three times on the straight; we'd sort of gone and braked and gone again. So it was complete chaos, the battery wasn't in a good window because of that.

“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 and I hit Liam.

“So obviously I've apologised to him already; I've apologised to the team because it's not something you want, because there could have been two of us in the points today, but also at the same time we take the result.”