The stewards have confirmed the outcome of their investigation into Liam Lawson for an incident in Saturday’s Sprint at the British Grand Prix.
In the latter stages of Saturday’s 100km dash, Lawson was being chased down for eighth place by the Red Bull of Isack Hadjar. When Hadjar tried to find a way past down the inside, the Racing Bulls driver cut across to defend – sparking angry comments from the Frenchman over the radio.
It was subsequently confirmed that the stewards would investigate Lawson – who finished in eighth place to secure the final point on offer – after the Sprint for moving under braking with a hearing set to be attended by Lawson, Hadjar and their respective team representatives.
Following this, it was announced that Lawson had received a warning for his actions rather than a penalty, meaning that he retains his position in the Sprint.
A document released after the hearing reads: “The driver of Car 30 stated that, at the relevant time, he was still at full throttle and had not yet commenced braking, and that the movement of the car was part of deceleration and preparation for the corner rather than a movement under braking.
“The driver of Car 6 stated that the move by Car 30 was sharp, but also that sufficient room was left and that contact was avoided. In his view, the incident did not merit a penalty. He also referred to the fact that the two cars were on different energy levels, which made the closing speed difficult to judge.
“The stewards accept that this was not a case of a significant change of direction after the braking phase had clearly commenced, and also accept that Car 30 left sufficient room for Car 6 to ensure that no contact occurred. The stewards also accept that the different energy states of the two cars made the closing speed into the corner more difficult for the driver of Car 30 to assess.
“However, the stewards considered that the defensive move by Car 30 was sufficiently late and abrupt that it warranted a formal caution. Although the stewards were not satisfied that the circumstances justified a stronger penalty, they considered that the move was marginally over the limit of what is acceptable when defending into a corner. Accordingly, the stewards impose a Warning on the driver of Car 30.”
Meanwhile the stewards also investigated Nico Hulkenberg after the Sprint for leaving the track and gaining an advantage – and in this instance they opted to hand the Audi driver a five-second time penalty, dropping him back from his original result of P13 to P15.
A document from this hearing explained that Hulkenberg had been defending against Haas’ Esteban Ocon on Lap 1 when he left the track at Turn 9 and did not concede the position, though he was later overtaken by Ocon one lap later.
While the stewards accepted that Hulkenberg had been trying to avoid a collision, they felt that the German had “carried excessive speed into the corner and that this was the primary reason why the car left the track”.
The verdict continues: “The stewards therefore determine that Car 27 left the track and gained a lasting advantage by maintaining its position. In light of the mitigating circumstance that the driver was also seeking to avoid a collision with Car 31, the stewards impose a five-second time penalty.”
