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Formula 1 driver Liam Lawson revealed he narrowly avoided a potentially deadly accident during Sunday's F1 event in Mexico when a pair of track officials crossed the track right in his path

The dangerous situation occurred on the third lap when safety workers were spotted on the racing surface as Lawson was getting back on the race following an early pitstop to swap his damaged front wing

Driver's Immediate Reaction

Shortly afterward, the team's competitor Lawson spoke to his race engineer saying: "You've got to be joking? Did you just see that? I might have... taken their lives"

"I truly couldn't comprehend what I was witnessing"

"I exited on a fresh hard compound tires, and then I got to Turn One and unexpectedly appeared two individuals running across the track"

"I came close to striking one of them, frankly, it was so dangerous"

Safety Concerns Raised

"Obviously there's been a communication breakdown at some point but I've never experienced that before, and I can't recall observing that in the past. It's completely unacceptable"

"We can't understand how on a live track track officials can be authorized to just sprint across the track in that manner. I'm clueless about the cause, I'm certain we'll get some sort of explanation, but this absolutely cannot recur"

Governing Body Reviewing

F1's overseeing organization, the global motorsport federation, is currently investigating the circumstances

"Following a turn one incident, the race directors was advised that fragments were located on the track at the critical section of that bend" stated the FIA

"On lap three, track officials were alerted and put on alert to go onto the racing surface and clear the fragments once all cars had passed"

"Immediately when it was understood that Lawson had made a pit stop, the instructions to dispatch personnel were canceled and a safety warning flag was displayed in that zone"

"The examination is ongoing what occurred following that moment"