FIA slammed over 'absolutely unacceptable' marshal incident at Las Vegas GP

A former FIA race director has slammed F1's governing body for a controversial incident that happened during the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

A multi-car crash at the Las Vegas GP on lap one led to a double-waved yellow flag scenario with debris strewn over the run-off, rather than a virtual or full safety car.

It meant that, while race leader Max Verstappen was approaching the start-finish straight to start his second lap of the race, there were marshals returning from collecting debris from the run-off area, and they could be seen running back towards the barrier.

The incident happened just weeks after Liam Lawson was met with marshals running across the track at the Mexican GP as he approached a tight, windy section of the track.

Following another near-miss in Vegas, the incident was slammed by former race director Niels Wittich, who claims he was removed from his role with the FIA in 2024, before being replaced by Rui Marques for last year's race around the Las Vegas Strip.

"This must not happen, this is a situation that is absolutely unacceptable," Wittich told Sky Germany after the race. "Of course, you always have the set-up, especially at Turn 1 at every start you put the marshals in motion or at least on standby. Because that is the biggest controlled gap you have at the start, once the last car has passed, in case there is any debris or parts that need to be picked up.

"But for it to take so long that the cars are basically already coming back around on their flying lap - a double yellow flag is not enough anymore at that point. That is simply wrong, and I can’t understand how this has now happened for the second time this year.

""The easiest way to react to something like this, even if you can see that something is delayed or that a situation needs another action: a full course yellow can be activated within one second, and then everyone has to slow down. That would have been the fastest and simplest solution to clarify and secure such a situation. From my point of view, you don’t want to see that."

But, according to Autosport, the FIA views the Las Vegas GP incident differently to the incident in Mexico involving Lawson. This is because the debris was in the run-off area next to the marshals' post, meaning that they did not need to cross the track.

GPFans have contacted the FIA for comment.

What happened with Lawson and the Mexican GP marshals?

Immediately after Lawson was met with marshals crossing the track back in Mexico last month, the New Zealander took to team radio, stating: "Mate...Oh my god, are you kidding me? Did you just see that? I could have f***ing killed them mate."

While the Organizacion Mexicana De Automovilismo Internacional (OMDAI), blamed Lawson for the incident in a scathing assessment of the Racing Bulls driver's driving, the FIA have launched an official investigation into the particular incident.

The FIA recently penned their own response to OMDAI, defending Lawson who they said was not to blame for what happened in Mexico City.

F1's governing body wrote: "Having analysed the telemetry from the incident, we can confirm that the driver of Car 30, Liam Lawson, slowed appropriately and reacted correctly to the double yellow flags displayed in the area, braking earlier than in other laps and passing significantly slower than racing speed into Turn 1. He is not at fault in this incident.

"Finally, we would like to express our sincere thanks to the volunteers and marshals for their professionalism and dedication - without them, our sport could not operate safely.

"Whilst the investigation remains ongoing, we acknowledge that any situation where marshals find themselves on track in front of oncoming cars is something we never want to see, and hence it is natural that such an incident will provoke concern and numerous comments," the statement continued.

"It is fortunate this incident did not result in any serious consequences, but we are conducting an internal investigation to understand exactly what happened and to identify any areas where procedures can be improved.

"We are collaborating openly and transparently for this purpose with the OMDAI [Mexican Automobile Club] and with Racing Bulls Formula 1 Team, with the ultimate objective to achieve our common aim, which is to always improve the safety of our sport.

"As with all serious incidents, the full analysis will take some time, as it involves collecting and reviewing all relevant evidence, including radio communications in multiple languages from the various parties involved, and synchronising all of these diverse inputs. The findings will be shared once the review is complete."

F1 HEADLINES: McLaren DISQUALIFIED as team issue statement on team principal sacking reports

Related