The FIA has defended Liam Lawson after he was seemingly criticised for his role in his near-miss with marshal during Formula 1's Mexican Grand Prix.
Having made an early-race pitstop that separated him from the rest of the pack, Lawson was incensed when he had to avoid two marshals on track who were recovering debris from the opening lap.
Lawson told his race engineer, "I could have f***ing killed them" and after the race, he called for the FIA to ensure a "pretty unacceptable" incident like this did not happen again.
But the situation was escalated by the Mexican motorsport authority questioning Lawson's driving during the incident.
The Mexican member of the FIA, OMDAI - Organización Mexicana De Automovilismo Internacional - issued a 10-point statement on Tuesday that was not ratified by the FIA and went largely unnoticed until Thursday.
It claimed the on-track marshals should have been "clearly visible" to Lawson as he approached Turn 1 and said Lawson "did not interrupt his [driving] line despite the obvious presence of marshals on the track".
There was no investigation into Lawson's driving post-race and the FIA officials actually apologised to Lawson for the incident and promised a full investigation.
In the wake of the OMDAI's statement, the FIA released its own communication that can be read in part as a response to the criticism directed towards Lawson.
"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 FIA statement read.
"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."
Despite the full investigation not being complete, the FIA said explicitly that Lawson was not to blame.
"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," it said.
"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."
