Liam Lawson has apologised to Pierre Gasly after a gearbox failure sent the Racing Bulls driver crashing into the Alpine at the Miami Grand Prix, flipping Gasly’s car into the barrier in a frightening incident that ended both drivers’ races.
Gasly emerged from his car without injury after it came to rest partially on its side against the barrier, but the crash eliminated what had been a promising weekend for the Alpine team.
Sudden Gearbox Failure at Turn 17
The incident unfolded as the two drivers approached Turn 17, with Lawson on the inside line and Gasly taking the outside. Instead of turning in sharply for the corner, Lawson drifted wide and collected Gasly, sending the Alpine airborne before it landed against the barrier.
Lawson explained that a catastrophic mechanical failure left him helpless in the braking zone.
“I went to brake for the last corner, and when I hit the brakes, we had a gearbox failure, and it went straight to neutral, and I couldn’t downshift and slow the car down,” Lawson said. “It’s a shame. It’s obviously taken out Pierre, which is not good. They were having a great weekend, and it’s retired us as well.”
The New Zealander confirmed the failure struck without warning. “It just failed in that moment,” he said.
Lawson retired two laps after Gasly left the race.
Stewards Clear Lawson After Telemetry Review
The stewards investigated the incident but cleared Lawson of any wrongdoing after reviewing his in-car data and telemetry, which confirmed a gearbox failure immediately before the collision. The stewards accepted the driver’s explanation that the failure was beyond his control and that nothing could have been done to avoid the crash.
Despite the mechanical exoneration, Lawson made a point of seeking out Gasly after the race to explain what happened.
“I went and saw him to apologise,” Lawson said. “Obviously they’ve had a great weekend. I just wanted to explain to him that I wasn’t intentionally trying to push the braking like that, I just had no gearbox and no brakes.”
Gasly Shaken But Unhurt
Gasly, speaking before the gearbox failure was confirmed, initially suggested the crash “could have been avoided” and described Lawson’s approach as “too optimistic.” But his primary concern was the physical trauma of the moment.
“I was luckily fine,” Gasly said. “I must say quite scared because I was in the air without any control and I think I came in the wall rear end first so I didn’t even know where I was going to land. It wasn’t pleasant.”
Beyond the immediate safety concerns, Gasly expressed frustration for his team, which had been running competitively throughout the Miami weekend.
“Right now, I’m just more disappointed than anything else for the team because it’s a big missed opportunity,” he said.
Both Racing Bulls and Alpine will analyse the mechanical failure ahead of the next race as they look to bounce back from a costly DNF in Miami.