Liam Lawson admitted he was surprised after being instructed to hand a position back to Max Verstappen during the opening phase of the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix 2026. The incident occurred after a close battle between the pair at Turn 11 as Verstappen attempted to recover from an opening-lap spin.
The Red Bull Racing driver dropped down the order after losing control at Turn 2. While recovering positions, Verstappen went wheel-to-wheel with Lawson, forcing both cars off the circuit. Lawson initially stayed ahead before receiving instructions from Racing Bulls to return the place.
Under current regulations, such situations are judged on whether a driver gained an advantage by leaving the track. Lawson stated he did not believe he was at risk of a penalty, making the team order unexpected from his perspective.
“I didn’t think I had to give the place back, but apparently I did.”
“It was close racing, but honestly I wasn’t going to be fighting at the front today anyway.”
Shortly after the incident, Lawson’s race ended following a gearbox failure that caused him to lose control and collide with Pierre Gasly. The technical issue immediately ended any chance of scoring points in Miami.
Before the terminal problem occurred, Lawson had already begun experiencing balance issues with the car. He suggested the handling limitations would likely have made it difficult to remain inside the top 10, although he still believed points were achievable.
“At that point I didn’t know, but a few laps later I realised we didn’t have a very good balance.”
“It would have been difficult to stay in the top 10, but I think we could still have scored a couple of points today.”
The combination of early-race incidents, team instructions, and reliability problems resulted in a difficult weekend for Lawson. With the midfield battle becoming increasingly competitive, technical consistency and strategic execution will remain crucial heading into the Canadian Grand Prix.
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