Lewis Hamilton has found himself under investigation by the FIA stewards following a tense incident with Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson during Thursday’s second practice session at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
The seven-time world champion was running at a relatively slow pace as he exited the final corner at the Baku City Circuit, with approximately 20 minutes remaining on the clock. Hamilton appeared to be managing his energy deployment and harvesting electrical power ahead of the long run down the main straight.
However, his positioning immediately created a dangerous situation when Lawson approached at significantly higher speed.
Hamilton remained on the racing line as Lawson rapidly closed the gap. The Racing Bulls driver was forced to react almost immediately to avoid running into the rear of the Ferrari, narrowly escaping what could have been a major collision.
Lawson was clearly unhappy with what had happened and wasted no time expressing his frustration over team radio.
“Oh my God, that is so fing dangerous,” Lawson exclaimed. “Oh my God dude, that is so fing dangerous.”
The incident subsequently attracted the attention of the FIA stewards, who began looking into the circumstances surrounding Hamilton’s actions. The investigation could potentially result in a sporting penalty, depending on the stewards’ assessment of whether Hamilton impeded Lawson or created an unnecessary danger on track.
Hamilton, meanwhile, appeared confident that the situation would be properly understood. Speaking after the session, the Ferrari driver acknowledged that he was still waiting for the stewards’ decision but suggested that handing him a penalty for the incident could create an unwanted precedent.
“I’m waiting to find out what they’re gonna say,” Hamilton explained.
The British driver stressed that the incident occurred during practice rather than a competitive qualifying or race session and argued that no driver’s weekend had ultimately been affected.
“But I’ll tell you, we’re gonna have interesting discussions if there’s like a penalty from it,” Hamilton added. “As I said, it’s Friday and it’s not changed anybody’s weekend.”
Hamilton also appeared keen to avoid any repeat of the situation during the remainder of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Rather than escalating the disagreement, he expressed hope that the stewards and drivers could work together to prevent similar incidents.
“We’ll see. Hopefully they’ve understood and hopefully we’ll work together to make sure this doesn’t happen again,” he said.
The incident adds another layer of tension to what is already shaping up to be a closely watched weekend in Baku. The Azerbaijan circuit is renowned for its long straights, narrow sections and limited margin for error, making differences in speed between cars particularly important.
For Lawson, the incident highlighted the potential danger of a slower car remaining on the racing line while another driver approaches at speed. For Hamilton, the focus now turns to the stewards and whether they believe his actions crossed the line.
With qualifying and the race still ahead, any decision could have consequences for Hamilton’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend.
