An F1 star avoided punishment at the Miami Grand Prix for an early incident which saw Pierre Gasly’s Alpine flipped on its head.
A dramatic incident unfolded early in the race when chaos struck on lap six. Moments after Isack Hadjar crashed into the wall at turn 14, Pierre Gasly was battling Liam Lawson into turn 17, the final corner before the main straight. With no safety car deployed yet, both drivers were still racing at full speed under green flag conditions.
As Lawson attempted to overtake, he locked up his front-left tyre and collided heavily with Gasly. The impact sent Gasly’s Alpine car flipping spectacularly before landing upright against the TechPro barriers, instantly ending his race. Despite the severity of the crash, Gasly quickly reassured his team over the radio that he was unharmed. Lawson initially continued but later retired due to significant damage.
Following the race, officials launched an investigation into the collision. While the crash appeared to be the result of an aggressive move, the stewards reached an unexpected verdict after reviewing extensive evidence, including telemetry, video footage, and team communications.
Lawson was cleared of any wrongdoing. The investigation revealed that his car suffered a gearbox failure just moments before the crash, particularly under braking. Data and radio messages confirmed the issue, supporting Lawson’s explanation that he had lost control due to the sudden mechanical fault.
Stewards concluded that the incident was caused by this technical failure rather than driver error. They also determined that Lawson could not have anticipated the problem, leaving him with no reasonable way to avoid the collision. As a result, no further action was taken against him.