Hamilton backed by Lawson after scary near-miss prompts F1 warning

The Racing Bulls driver warned that the closing speed problem behind the incident is systemic and could become even more dangerous when 20 cars take to the track for qualifying.

Lawson was initially furious on team radio during Thursday's FP2 session after catching Hamilton in the high-speed section approaching the final straight, but softened his stance significantly in his post-session comments.

Hamilton received a driving reprimand from the stewards, who found the impeding was ‘severe’ but that there was ‘no intent.’ Speaking to media after both drivers attended the hearing, Lawson directed his frustration at F1's 2026 energy deployment regulations rather than at the seven-time world champion.

"It's unfortunately the way the regulations are," Lawson told reporters. "It's quite sketchy for either one of us.

The New Zealander added: "For sure we will [discuss], I mean, it's something that we knew would be an issue this weekend.

Lawson's concerns echo warnings made before a single car had turned a wheel in Baku. Audi's Gabriel Bortoleto had flagged the exact same danger ahead of the weekend, predicting it could be "a bit of a mess" through Turns 18 and 19, as GPblog reported earlier this week.

Hamilton has proposed that the FIA mandate full power through the corner sequence for all cars and said he planned to raise the issue at the drivers' briefing, as GPblog previously covered.