Lawson baffled by Norris escaping penalty: 'He tries to leave space and gets hit'

Lawson witnessed the incident from close range, running directly behind the two McLarens when they collided on the final lap. The New Zealander managed to avoid the contact and took advantage of the incident to move up to fifth place. Piastri was forced to retire, while Norris recovered from a spin to finish eighth.

Despite the collision, the stewards decided to take no further action, concluding that both McLaren drivers contributed to the incident.

Speaking to GPblog and other media outlets, Lawson was asked whether the stewards' decision surprised him. After a brief pause, the New Zealander reflected on the incident, drawing comparisons with his own collision with teammate Arvid Lindblad in Baku.

Lawson also acknowledged that the McLaren collision ultimately worked in his favour, allowing him to gain positions and score additional points: "I can probably relate to him a little bit more because I've been in that situation. But for me, I got a couple more points out of it, so it suits me."

However, the Racing Bulls driver questioned whether taking such a risk on the final lap of a Sprint was worthwhile, given the relatively small number of points at stake: "On the last lap, it's not for many points; I don't think it's worth it."

The stewards' investigation focused on the positioning of the two McLaren drivers before the apex. Norris argued that his front axle was ahead of Piastri's mirror at that point, meaning he was entitled to racing room. Piastri, meanwhile, explained that he did not anticipate his teammate's move but attempted to leave enough space once he realised Norris was alongside him.

Although Norris appeared to meet the positioning requirements outlined in the racing guidelines, Piastri was already committed to the corner and had little opportunity to leave additional room, making contact difficult to avoid.

Sky Sports F1 analyst Karun Chandhok also examined the incident from several camera angles, questioning Norris' decision to attempt the overtake. The former F1 driver pointed out that Piastri followed his normal racing line, while Norris approached from a position that made it difficult for the Australian to see him.

Chandhok also raised doubts over whether Norris established sufficient overlap at the apex to justify the space he expected his teammate to leave: "I think the team will look at it and say that was perhaps a risk too far that he took there."

His assessment echoed Lawson's concerns about the move, with both questioning whether Piastri could realistically do anything more to prevent the collision, despite the stewards deciding that both drivers shared responsibility.