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The Racing Bulls star was shocked when speaking on his team radio after the incident, telling his race engineer, “I could have f***ing killed them”. The Kiwi was back on the track on Lap 3 after an early pit stop to replace a damaged front wing when disaster nearly struck. Fox Sports, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every practice, qualifying session and race in the 2025 FIA Formula One World Championship™ LIVE in 4K. New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1. As he made a sharp turn, Lawson needed to take sudden action to slam on the brakes as two marshals ran across the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez track. “Mate, the f***,” Lawson said to radio. “Oh my god, are you kidding me? Did you see that?” He was told by race engineer Ernesto Desiderio that he had done a good job to avoid the marshals. “Oh my god, mate. “I could have f***ing killed them, mate,” the 23-year-old said. Lawson, who started 15th, was later forced to abandon the race after his car took damage in the early stages of the race. He said after the race: “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. I nearly hit one of them, honestly, it was so dangerous. You can watch Lawson’s view of the incident in the video player above. “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 the track like that. I have no idea why, I’m sure we’ll get some sort of explanation, but it really can’t happen again.” The on-track marshals had been collecting debris from the side of the track after chaos unfolded in the opening two laps of the race. Footage taken by spectators showed fans were cheering the marshals on as they picked up the stray debris. There were immediate calls for an investigation into the incident. “That was a horrific breakdown in communication and nearly led to the worst scenario of a driver hitting a track worker,” leading F1 journalist Chris Medland wrote on X. “Serious investigation needed into that.” The FIA (Formula 1’s governing body) announced shortly after that the incident is being reviewed. “Following a turn one incident, race control was informed that debris was present on the track at the apex of that corner,” it said. “On lap three, marshals were alerted and placed on standby to enter the track and recover the debris once all cars had passed turn one. “As soon as it became apparent that Lawson had pitted, the instructions to dispatch marshals were rescinded, and a double yellow flag was shown in that area. We are still investigating what occurred after that point.” The FIA added: “We would like to underline our respect and appreciation for the local ASN [sporting club], OMDAI, as well as the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez and their marshals, who are volunteers and play a vital role in the safe and successful running of our sport. Their professionalism and dedication are invaluable to every event we stage.” Lando Norris went on to win the drama-charged Grand Prix. The Brit now holds a one-point championship lead over his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri.
