Arvid Lindblad's apology to Liam Lawson at Azerbaijan GP splits F1 fans reaction

As a consequence of the incident, Lawson dropped to the back of the grid, while Alpine duo Franco Colapinto and Pierre Gasly, alongside McLaren's Lando Norris, all crashed out at the same corner following their own collision. The Kiwi could only recover to P12, while his teammate went on to secure a strong P7 result - equalling his best finish in F1.

“Man, I love getting taken out by my team-mate. That’s pretty sick,” a furious Lawson said over team radio, with the former Red Bull driver also left with extensive floor damage following the Turn 1 chaos. His teammate also managed to escape a penalty for the incident, with the stewards citing post-race “the restricted space available to [Lindblad] and the chain reaction caused by the incident ahead.”

Speaking to media, including GPblog, Lawson said he was pleased for the team that Lindblad had secured points for the team, but expressed confusion over how his teammate escaped without a penalty. He said: "Obviously, I'm not going to go and protest my teammate.

In a new clip on F1 TV, 2026's sole rookie Lindblad has been captured apologising to Lawson after the race. The young Briton interrupted Lawson's interview, just as the Kiwi explained his confusion over "what gap he was looking for" and that missing out on points "sucks for the team."

"I’m sorry mate,” Lindblad said, before shaking his teammate’s hand. Lawson then replied: “I haven’t seen it bro, but did you go down the middle or…?” The rookie then tried to explain how he was close to Haas' Esteban Ocon on corner entry, but could ultimately only apologise again for the accident.

Some fans have since praised the 19-year-old for his public apology, with one Instagram user commenting: "That's sportsmanship right there! Some of the old ones can learn from that!" Another said: "Mad respect for both on this. Better than other teams that would start a war."

On Reddit, one fan said: "Looked so incredibly awkward but I’m glad Lindblad owned it. You can tell Lawson is still p****d af,” while another praised a "class response from both.”

However, others are not so sure, with some F1 fans suggesting on that the apology may have been a clever tactic by Lindblad. One fan wrote: “Tactical doing it in the media pen where Lawson can’t blow up at him. Smart man.”

Another accused Lawson of "trying to score PR points." They said: "Have a private conversation about it, in front of the media like this Lawson can't say anything back."

While a critical opportunity to score double points went begging, Racing Bulls are still in a decent position as F1's 'best-of-the-rest' team in 2026 - they currently sit P5 in the Constructors' on 83 points, 15 ahead of Alpine before F1 returns to Malaysia this weekend.