Liam Lawson confused as FIA investigation clears Lindblad over Baku F1 collision

Liam Lawson has questioned how his Racing Bulls F1 teammate Arvid Lindblad escaped punishment after heavy contact caused race-altering consequences.

The Racing Bulls teammates collided as the Azerbaijan Grand Prix got back underway after a safety car intervention.

Liam Lawson’s scathing F1 radio verdict

Neither Lawson nor Lindblad were in the points-paying positions when the Baku race resumed, although both were unknowingly set to gain significantly as Franco Colapinto locked up and went steaming into his Alpine teammate, Pierre Gasly.

However, this opportunity went begging, as Lindblad had a moment of his own into Turn 1 and collided with Lawson, narrowly avoiding the rear wing of Haas driver Esteban Ocon.

Losing out significantly and dropping to 15th place as Lindblad entered the top 10, Lawson said via team radio: “Mate, I love getting taken out by my teammate. That’s pretty sick.”

Facing the media after finishing in 12th place, and only a few seconds back on his rookie teammate in seventh, Lawson gave his full thoughts on the incident.

“Obviously, we were all coming into Turn 1, I had massive boost lag, and I didn’t have any power, so Esteban was next to me,” he said.

“I tried to give him space, and then I just got hit from my left so hard that it put a hole in my floor, and we just couldn’t fight after that.

“I don’t really know what happened. But obviously, from where I’m sitting, there’s not really space to go through the middle there, so it’s not really ideal.”

Lawson added: “Going into Turn 1 there to try and fit through the middle of two cars like that, it was never really going to happen.”

Asked if Lindblad had made an effort to apologise for the incident, he confirmed: “Yeah, he came to apologise. He said he locked up and that he had nowhere to go. I need to watch it, but it’s not ideal.”

Liam Lawson vs Arvid Lindblad: Racing Bulls head-to-head stats for F1 2026 season

F1 2026: Head-to-head qualifying statistics between teammates

F1 2026: Head-to-head race statistics between teammates

Arvid Lindblad escape “great for the team”

Lawson was making his first start for Racing Bulls since the summer break, having stepped in for the injured Red Bull driver Isack Hadjar at recent events.

The New Zealander reflected that the stewards’ decision not to sanction Lindblad was “Great for the team.”

He added: “Obviously, I’m not going to go and protest my teammate, but I don’t understand it. I got hit so hard that it put a hole in my floor, and I was just turning for the corner, giving the guy space.

“So from where I’m sitting, I don’t understand, but let’s say it’s great for the team.”

Racing Bulls and Alpine are involved in a tense battle over fifth place in the constructors’ standings, and the financial rewards that come with an elevated position.

Finding a silver lining in the day, Lawson said: “On the positive, we scored points as a team. We got very lucky that Alpine didn’t, but I don’t know.”

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher

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