Liam Lawson: “I can’t comprehend” why Arvid Lindblad avoided punishment after damaging my floor.

The stewards concluded that the incident resulted from “the limited space available to [Lindblad] and the chain reaction triggered by the preceding incident,” allowing Lindblad to avoid a penalty. However, Lawson, speaking before reviewing the incident, expressed his disagreement with that conclusion.

“Entering Turn 1, I had significant boost lag and lacked power, so Esteban was right next to me,” the New Zealander recalled. “I attempted to give him room, and then I got hit from my left with such force that it damaged my floor, and we couldn’t compete after that. I’m not entirely sure what transpired.

“I’ve always tried to stay clear, and it has certainly been aggressive at times this year, but… I don’t know, trying to squeeze between two cars going into Turn 1 like that didn’t seem feasible.”

Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls, Arvid Lindblad, Racing Bulls

When asked if the stewards’ ruling was beneficial for the team but not necessarily for him, Lawson remarked: “Excellent for the team. Naturally, I’m not going to protest my teammate, but…

“I don’t comprehend it, as I was hit so hard that it damaged my floor. I was merely turning for the corner, trying to give the guy space. From my perspective, I don’t get it, but let’s just say it’s good for the team.”

Lindblad did apologize to his teammate as soon as he had the chance. He reiterated this in the media area while partially attributing the incident to Esteban Ocon moving while braking – a claim not supported by the footage.

“From where Esteban and I were, we had gone back and forth three times on the straight, braked, and then accelerated again, so it was complete chaos; the battery was not in an optimal range because of that,” the rookie explained.

“Then everyone braked a bit too late in Turn 1, and I intended to overtake Esteban, but he moved at the last moment, essentially moving under braking, which forced me to take evasive action, causing me to lock the front slightly and collide with Liam.

“I said ‘I'm sorry’ on the radio, but ultimately it wasn’t intentional. If you watch the footage, you’ll see there was nothing deliberate in my actions. The stewards decided on ‘no further action,’ which I’m glad about, but ultimately, I’m unsure what else could have been done. When everyone is on the limit, all braking late, and the car in front moves at the last second… There were numerous incidents. I had no control over it, and it is what it is.”

Arvid Lindblad, Racing Bulls

Lindblad mentioned that Racing Bulls acknowledged, ‘We can see there wasn’t much you could have done,’ although he anticipated receiving some reprimand.

Nonetheless, there were some positives for the Faenza-based team – Lindblad made a comeback to finish seventh, overtaking Ocon by just 0.03 seconds, while Alpine failed to score points due to Colapinto’s mishap. This signifies a potential 13-point shift in their battle for fifth place in the constructors’ championship, with Racing Bulls now leading by 15 points.

“On the bright side, we scored points as a team. Honestly, we were very fortunate today that Alpine didn’t,” Lawson acknowledged. “We lacked [their] speed.”

“We’ll take the result, considering we’ve faced a lot of challenges this weekend; it’s been one of the first times this season we struggled to get out of Q1,” Lindblad agreed. “So to finish best of the rest and earn significant points is absolutely fantastic. It hasn’t been an easy weekend, but points are earned on Sunday.”

Lindblad may not secure any points this Sunday, but he did manage to accomplish his goals on Saturday after all.