FIA probes near-miss as marshals run on track at Mexico City GP

Liam Lawson narrowly avoided hitting two track marshals who ran across Turn 1 during the Mexico City Grand Prix on Sunday, an incident that prompted an immediate inquiry by race officials and raised fresh safety questions about when and how marshals are deployed during live racing. The New Zealand driver reported the near miss over team radio after rejoining the race following an early pit stop at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.

Lawson had pitted at the end of the opening lap to repair front wing damage sustained in contact on the first lap. Moments after exiting the pit lane on lap three, he encountered two marshals who were on the circuit clearing debris. Onboard audio captured Lawson telling his race engineer, "Oh my God, are you kidding me. Did you see that?" and later, "I could have f***ing killed them, mate." He retired from the race a short time later due to residual damage.

The FIA said marshals had been alerted and placed on standby to recover debris at the apex of Turn 1 after an earlier incident. According to the governing body, instructions to dispatch marshals were rescinded as soon as it became clear Lawson had pitted, and race control displayed double yellow...