An opening lap tangle no one saw coming 
The Miami race got off to a brutal start for Pierre Gasly. His car ended up upside down. The crash was triggered by contact with Liam Lawson. Thankfully, neither driver was hurt, although Gasly said it was the first time he had ever been involved in an accident like that.
The sudden retirement was a costly blow for Alpine. Gasly’s frustration was obvious as he climbed out of the car. Even so, the Frenchman refused to pile on in public. He simply said incidents like that are always hugely frustrating, without stirring the pot.
The source of the problem: the gearbox
On the Racing Bulls side, the explanation came quickly. Liam Lawson was hit by a mechanical failure. Just before the final corner, his gearbox suddenly slipped into neutral. With no usual engine braking, the New Zealander was left unable to slow the car.
At that point, contact with the Alpine was unavoidable. Fully aware of the force of the impact, Lawson went to apologise to Gasly as soon as he got back to the pits. His first relief was seeing that the Frenchman was unhurt.
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The stewards’ verdict
Race control, naturally, opened an investigation. Officials studied the data from car number 30 in detail. Their findings quickly backed up Lawson’s version of events. The radio messages and telemetry showed the failure happened before the braking zone even began.
With the technical evidence in hand, the stewards made their call. The driver could not have done anything to predict or avoid the collision. It was a straight mechanical failure, not a driving error. As a result, Liam Lawson escaped without penalty.
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