FIA confirms Liam Lawson punishment after Canadian GP breach triggers investigation
Liam Lawson has had a few run ins with the FIA over the course of his F1 career
The FIA has confirmed that Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson has been handed an official reprimand following a breach during the formation lap at the Canadian Grand Prix.
Lawson equalled his best result of the F1 2026 season on Sunday in Canada, crossing the line in an impressive seventh place.
Liam Lawson reprimanded after Canadian Grand Prix confusion
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It came after an impressive final stint, which saw the New Zealander spend 36 laps on soft tyres.
Lawson’s third points finish of the season came after he was involved in confusion at the start of the race, which saw the field carry out three separate formation laps.
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The start of the final formation lap saw Lawson, who started 12th, pass 11th-placed Nico Hulkenberg after a slow getaway for the Audi driver.
The pair failed to return to the correct order over the remainder of the formation lap, but managed to take their rightful positions on the starting grid.
As reported by PlanetF1.com on Monday, Hulkenberg received a suspended stop-and-go penalty and a reprimand for his involvement in the incident.
And it has emerged that Lawson has also been handed a reprimand having been found to have left the grid before Hulkenberg and remained ahead when the field reached the crucial Safety Car Line 1.
It marks the first reprimand of the season for Lawson, with drivers facing an automatic 10-place grid penalty if they receive five reprimands over the course of a season.
The stewards’ report read: “The Stewards heard from the driver of Car 27 (Nico Hulkenberg), the driver of Car 30 (Liam Lawson), team representatives and reviewed positioning/marshalling system data, video, timing, and in-car video evidence.
“This was an unusual incident. Car 27 was slower than could be reasonably expected, starting from its grid position for what would be a third formation lap.
“Car 30 started sooner than expected and should have waited longer for Car 27 to start.
“During the formation lap, the driver of Car 27 claimed he was unable to safely pass Car 30 to regain the correct position.
“However, despite the cars being in the incorrect order when crossing the SC1 line, the start was not required to be delayed, no disruption to the grid was required and there was no impact on the competition.
“Both cars started the race from the correct positions.”
The stewards’ also noted that they parted from standard protocol to give Hulkenberg a more lenient penalty in Montreal.
Under F1’s rules, drivers are handed a mandatory stop-and-go penalty if they are not in the correct position by the time they reach SC1 unless they proceed to enter the pit lane.
However, the Canadian Grand Prix stewards said that it would have been “extremely harsh” and “disproportionate” to impose the standard penalty on Hulkenberg for what was deemed to be a “relatively minor” breach of the rules.
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