During the 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend, a significant safety concern emerged following an incident between Lewis Hamilton and Liam Lawson in the second practice session (FP2). Hamilton, driving for Ferrari, was reprimanded for impeding Lawson, who races for Scuderia AlphaTauri, at Turns 18-19 of the Baku City Circuit. The episode brought attention to the risks posed by large speed differentials between cars managing electrical energy on slow out-laps and those pushing hard on flying laps.
Hamilton’s Ferrari unexpectedly lost electrical power at Turn 18 due to software-controlled battery management, causing him to slow abruptly. This sudden reduction in speed nearly resulted in a collision with Lawson, who described the incident as “so dangerous.” Despite the severity of the situation, no immediate changes to track procedures or regulations were made during the race weekend. Drivers had been instructed to keep to the extreme left from Turn 16 to Turn 18 to reduce risks, but Hamilton did not fully comply with this directive.
The root of the issue lies in the need for cars to conserve battery energy for the long main straight, which forces some drivers to slow significantly through the final corners. This creates hazardous speed differences between cars on out-laps and those on flying laps. Hamilton proposed a potential solution during the drivers’ briefing: allowing cars on flying laps to use full power through Turns 18 and 19, effectively requiring all cars to go flat out in that section to avoid dangerous speed disparities. However, this suggestion was rejected by the teams due to concerns over technical and performance impacts related to energy management strategies.
Race director Rui Marques maintained the original instructions for cars on out-laps to keep left in the final corners for the remainder of the weekend. The incident echoes a similar situation earlier in the season at the Australian Grand Prix, where a controversial removal and reinstatement of a straightline mode zone occurred following team pushback. The ongoing challenge highlights the complexities of balancing safety with the technical demands of energy conservation in modern Formula 1® cars.
Lawson acknowledged the difficulty in resolving the issue given current technical constraints, reflecting a broader challenge within the sport as it adapts to new power unit regulations and energy management systems. While the incident underscored a clear safety concern, the lack of immediate regulatory changes illustrates the tension between driver safety and the strategic intricacies of managing electrical energy during race weekends.
This situation at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix serves as a reminder of the evolving nature of Formula 1® regulations and the ongoing dialogue between drivers, teams, and officials in addressing safety without compromising the technical framework of the sport. The current approach remains cautious, with no new measures implemented beyond the existing race director’s instructions.