Furthermore, while there was no on-track punishment, Racing Bulls were also fined just under $60,000 after Lawson’s clutch disengagement system (CDS) did not activate.
However, the FIA’s ruling also found that the marshal was pushing the wrong button when attempting to activate the CDS.
The clutch disengagement system is integral to the safe removal of a car by marshals. It allows a crashed or stopped car to have its clutch disengaged by stewards without the engine running.
If found to be in breach of the FIA’s Article C9.3, Lawson could be handed a punishment by the stewards to carry into sprint qualifying, if not the race itself.
The issues are just the latest for Lawson, who was forced out of the Miami Grand Prix earlier this month, after a mechanical failure left him unable to avoid contact with Alpine’s Pierre Gasly, and the resulting crash ended both drivers’ races.
Lawson wasn’t the only driver to be forced out of sprint qualifying either. Williams’ Alex Albon also suffered terminal damage in practice, after he ran over a groundhog and hit the wall at the chicane between turn six and seven, with that damage also too much to overcome.
MORE TO COME
Alex Powell is a sports journalist for the NZ Herald. He has been a sports journalist since 2016.