Lawson says gearbox failure triggered crash with Gasly

Liam Lawson has revealed that a sudden gearbox failure was behind his heavy collision with Pierre Gasly during Sunday’s Miami Grand Prix – an incident that sent the Alpine driver into a frightening barrel roll.

The crash, which occurred at Turn 17 in the early stages of the race, brought out the safety car and immediately ended the afternoon for both drivers.

Gasly’s car flipped after being clipped from behind, eventually coming to rest against the barriers, with the Frenchman emerging unhurt from the tumble.

Lawson explained that the incident was not the result of misjudgment, but a mechanical issue that left him powerless to avoid contact.

"Yeah, it sucks for both of us, obviously," the Kiwi said after the race. "I just went into the last corner, and when I braked, I lost the gearbox and I went to neutral.

"So I basically had no gears, and I couldn't stop, so it's not something I've had before. Obviously, it's quite a big issue for us and it's what meant we had to retire the car, but it's a shame because it's obviously taken out Pierre as well."

Strong pace before the crash

The loss of drive meant Lawson had no engine braking or control as he approached the tight hairpin, leaving him unable to slow the car in time and resulting in unavoidable contact with Gasly, who had been battling ahead.

The RB driver’s frustration was compounded by what had been a promising start to the race. Having lined up 11th on the grid, he quickly surged into the top 10 in the opening laps, showing strong early pace despite a challenging weekend.

"Yeah, we haven't really been quick enough this weekend and we had a good start," Lawson added.

"First lap was really, really good, made up a lot of places and was well inside the top 10 and fighting the balance a lot at the start of the race, which is why I was actually defending so that's quite frustrating and obviously a mechanical to take us out is disappointing. Hard luck."

• Miami Grand Prix - Race results

The double retirement was a blow for both drivers in the tightly contested midfield battle. Lawson remains 10th in the standings, while Gasly sits just ahead in ninth.

Up front, the race was won by Kimi Antonelli, who continued his dominant run with a third consecutive victory, ahead of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.

For Lawson, however, Miami will be remembered less for progress and more for a rare and costly mechanical failure – one that turned a strong opening into a dramatic and premature exit.

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via X and Facebook