Liam Lawson says Formula 1 can reduce the chances of dangerous start-line incidents, but believes the sport will never be able to completely remove the risk of crashes during race starts.
The Racing Bulls driver reflected on the frightening moment involving Franco Colapinto earlier this season in Australia, where Lawson stalled on the grid and nearly triggered a major collision.
The incident became one of the early concerns surrounding Formula 1’s updated regulations, with Andrea Stella previously warning before the season that technical issues during starts could create serious safety risks.
What happened during the Australia incident?
During the Australian Grand Prix, Liam Lawson’s vehicle became halted on the grid just before the start of the race, while all other vehicles were accelerating behind him and could not complete the race.
Subsequently, Colapinto had to act quickly to avoid colliding with the back of Liam Lawson’s car; otherwise, it would likely have resulted in a significant accident at high speed immediately following the start of the race.
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This incident has raised questions once again regarding the Launch System regulations and whether or not there are added technical vulnerabilities created by the new technical regulations relating to standing starts.
F1 introduced new measures after the scare
Due to several incidents and complaints made during the first half of the season, F1 introduced a new system of low-power start detection during the Miami Grand Prix weekend.
The new system will allow cars to have the ability to automatically gain additional power from the MGU-K system if there are low acceleration rates during race starts in order to prevent the potential for sudden launch failures.
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Under the previous protocol, drivers could not use any electrical energy until reaching speeds of at least 50 km/h (31 mph) and had to rely solely on the internal combustion engine for power during the launch sequence.
Additionally, modifications have also been made to ensure that each car has enough charging capacity for electric power prior to the start of the race.
Liam Lawson says risk can never fully disappear
Despite those updates, Liam Lawson believes racing will always carry an unavoidable level of danger, especially during standing starts where reactions happen within seconds.
“I mean, yes, I guess in some way, but you can still stall on the grid in other categories and have a pretty good, big accident,” Liam Lawson told the media, including RacingNews365.
“I think you can’t eliminate the risk of everything, but something like that was out of my control – and that’s what needs to be eliminated and what we’re trying to do.
“So there is always going to be a risk, but when you have something that is outside of your control, something which is a failure or an issue, if we can eliminate those, that’s the main thing.”
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Formula 1 has made significant progress in safety over the past two decades, with advancements in cockpit protection, crash structures, and race control systems drastically reducing serious injuries.
However, start-line incidents remain among the most unpredictable moments in motorsport because of the combination of low visibility, packed grids, and rapid acceleration.
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