Liam Lawson expressed confusion regarding the stewards’ decision not to penalise teammate Arvid Lindblad following their collision at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on September 26, 2026. Despite his frustration, Lawson confirmed he would not protest the outcome. The incident occurred during a Safety Car restart at the Baku City Circuit.
The Racing Bulls drivers made contact at Turn 1, with Lindblad locking his brakes and hitting Lawson’s car. This sent Lawson into a spin and caused significant floor damage to his vehicle. Lawson’s immediate radio message conveyed clear frustration.
Lawson stated, ‘I don’t really know what gap he was looking for in the middle of both of us going into Turn 1 – I just don’t understand it.’ He added that the contact put a hole in his floor.
Despite the damage, Lawson recovered to finish 12th in the race. Lindblad, meanwhile, continued without significant issue and secured a seventh-place finish, earning six points for the team.
The FIA stewards investigated the collision but ultimately decided to take no further action. Their explanation cited the restricted space available to Lindblad and a chain reaction from an earlier incident involving other cars.
The stewards deemed it a ‘typical first-corner incident’ following a restart, concluding that no single driver was predominantly to blame. This ruling left Lawson questioning the decision.
Arvid Lindblad publicly apologised to Lawson and the Racing Bulls team for the contact. He explained that the restart was chaotic, and he felt he had nowhere to go after locking his brakes.
‘Obviously a bit of a shame to hit Liam but if you see the incident, you can see there’s not much I could’ve done. I came and immediately apologised to him, and obviously I apologised to the team because there could’ve been two of us up there today.’
Lawson confirmed Lindblad’s apology but maintained his confusion over the lack of a penalty. He reiterated that he would not pursue a protest against his teammate.
The Racing Bulls team had aimed for a double points finish in Baku. Lindblad’s seventh place contributed valuable points, despite the incident compromising Lawson’s race.
Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad are confirmed as the Racing Bulls driver lineup for the entire 2026 Formula 1 season.
