Martin Brundle defends Liam Lawson over dramatic Pierre Gasly crash at Miami Grand Prix

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Martin Brundle has played down the ‘spectacular’ collision between Liam Lawson and Pierre Gasly in Sunday’s Miami Grand Prix.

Lawson and Gasly tangled at the end of lap five, with the Alpine car rolling over before it reached the barriers. The Frenchman didn’t sustain any injuries and was able to get out of the A526 quickly as it landed upright.

Lawson would retire from the race himself soon after, and while he faced an investigation from the stewards, he avoided a penalty for the Canadian Grand Prix later this month.

Martin Brundle: Liam Lawson’s driving in Pierre Gasly shunt wasn’t reckless

Reviewing the incident on Sky Sports, Brundle said Gasly ‘couldn’t have left any more space’ as he tried to pass Lawson around the outside.

However, he was clear that the Racing Bulls hadn’t driven in a ‘wild’ manner. The dramatic image of Gasly’s car flipping over made the incident look a lot worse.

Gasly was involved in a similar accident at the British GP four years ago that resulted in Alfa Romeo driver Zhou Guanyu being flipped, but it’s a rare occurrence in F1.

“It’s a surprise it doesn’t happen more often, because when you’ve got sticky tyres like that, meeting face to face, that is what flips a car over,” said Brundle.

• READ MORE: Liam Lawson risks becoming a ‘permanent’ Racing Bulls driver in F1 after missed Red Bull chance

“Lawson moves to the inside, fair enough. Gasly goes to the outside, leaves a lot of racing room on the inside, but Lawson locks his brakes.

“Pierre Gasly couldn’t have left any more space. Lawson’s locked up, trying to defend the place.

“It wasn’t wild by Lawson, it wasn’t careless, but he did lose control of his car. That is what the stewards will be looking at. He was given enough racing room.

“It was far from reckless what he did, it just looked a bit spectacular, the end result of it.”

Liam Lawson says gearbox issue led to Pierre Gasly crash

Speaking after the race, via F1’s official website, Lawson said he ‘couldn’t stop’ into the penultimate corner because he lost gears.

The issue caught him completely off guard and ultimately led to his retirement on Racing Bulls’ toughest weekend of 2026 so far.

“I just went into the last corner and when I braked, I lost the gearbox and went into neutral,” said Lawson. “I basically had no gears and I couldn’t stop. It’s not something I’ve had before.

• READ MORE: Jonathan Wheatley wanted to sign Liam Lawson for Audi F1 team before he left

“Obviously it’s quite a big issue for us and it’s what meant we had to retire the car. It’s a shame because it’s obviously taken Pierre out as well.”

Arvid Lindblad didn’t even start Saturday’s Sprint, while Lawson finished 14th, nearly 30 seconds outside the points.

Lawson’s P11 in qualifying showed some promise, but Lindblad went out in Q1. When the New Zealander retired from the race, his rookie teammate wasn’t in a position to compete for points, and he eventually finished 14th.