Damon Hill delivers his instant verdict on Liam Lawson and Oscar Piastri’s Las Vegas GP incident

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The first corner of the Las Vegas Grand Prix caused carnage, with championship leader Oscar Piastri and Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson immediately involved.

McLaren driver Lando Norris ran wide after defending his lead from Max Verstappen going into the first corner, eventually falling to third behind George Russell.

The next incident involved Oscar Piastri and Liam Lawson, with the Racing Bulls driver locking up heading into turn one.

It appeared as though the inside of the track at the Las Vegas Grand Prix had far less grip than anyone realised.

A much bigger accident was caused by Gabriel Bortoleto, who went way too fast into turn one and smashed into the back of Lance Stroll, ending both of their races and also compromising Pierre Gasly in the process.

Damon Hill reviewed the collision between Piastri and Lawson and made one very important point that the McLaren driver will likely agree with.

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Damon Hill questions how Liam Lawson avoided a penalty for hitting Oscar Piastri at the Las Vegas Grand Prix

Piastri was one of the biggest talking points at the previous race in Brazil after a risky move following a safety car restart.

Most of the paddock disagreed with Piastri earning a penalty after colliding with Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who was pushed into Charles Leclerc, ending the Ferrari driver’s race.

That contributed to John Elkann’s harsh comments about Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, but this time around, the stewards made a different decision.

Lawson escaped a penalty for hitting Piastri, with the pair banging wheels and continuing, although the McLaren star fell to seventh in the process.

Hill posted on X immediately after the first lap incident involving several cars, stating: “Lawson ‘no further action’,” with a thinking face emoji. “Ironically hitting Piastri!”

Piastri didn’t immediately react on the team radio to the collision, but would have been privately lamenting his luck once again. Many will wonder what the difference was between his clash with Antonelli and Lawson’s late lock-up.

BBC Sport journalist Rosanna Tennant reported after the incident: “Oscar Piastri does have damage, it’s small but it’s not too serious McLaren have told me. They will investigate it at the end of the race.”

After a disrupted final qualifying run, the Australian is quickly watching his championship hopes slip away against Norris.

READ MORE: Who is Racing Bulls F1 driver Liam Lawson? Everything you need to know

Liam Lawson’s Las Vegas Grand Prix race ruined after Oscar Piastri contact

Lawson is fighting for his Formula 1 future at Racing Bulls, and outqualifying his teammate Isack Hadjar would have helped his cause, with Yuki Tsunoda once again eliminated in Q1.

However, by the time he had gone through the first sequence of corners on lap one, it was clear that his front wing was damaged.

Racing Bulls decided to keep him out rather than bring him into the pit lane, which proved to be the wrong decision.

Sparks were flying off the front of his car as his front wing dragged along the track, and he fell to the back of the pack as a result.

With so much on the line during the final three races of the season, it’s a decision that Lawson couldn’t afford to have go against him, even if his original mistake wasn’t punished by the stewards.