Hamilton to raise safety concerns following Baku near-miss
A high-speed incident during second practice at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix has prompted Lewis Hamilton to demand greater clarity regarding closing speeds. The Ferrari driver confirmed he will raise the issue with his fellow competitors at the upcoming drivers' briefing after a scary encounter with Racing Bullsâ Liam Lawson.
The Incident in the Final Sector
The near-miss occurred as Hamilton was navigating a slow lap approaching the final sector of the Baku City Circuit. As the veteran driver began his approach, Lawson, on a flying lap, closed the gap with unexpected and dramatic speed.
Hamilton explained that despite believing he had maintained a sufficient margin, the gap evaporated instantly when his Ferrariâs power dropped off entering Turn 18. The incident resulted in a reprimand for Hamilton following a stewards' investigation. In the session, Hamilton finished fifth, while George Russell topped the times ahead of Kimi Antonelli and Max Verstappen. Lawson ended the session in 12th.
âBasically, with the rules that the FIA gave us this year, when you come into the weekend, there's no data or simulations to say, okay, when you come to the last corner and you go to full throttle and you have 500 brake horsepower less than the car behind you on the lap, this is the gap you need to have before they get on your [rear],â Hamilton told reporters.
A Proposed Solution for Driver Safety
The seven-time champion highlighted a significant lack of guidance regarding expected closing speeds, noting that the disparity in power between a car on a push lap and one conserving energy can be dangerous.
To mitigate this risk, Hamilton has proposed a specific technical solution to the FIA focused on the final corners of the Baku circuit. He suggested that to prevent dangerous speed differentials, no driver should be permitted to go slowly through Turns 18 and 19.
âI mean, I said to them what they should do is, on a single lap, when we're doing a push lap, we get max power out the last corner. When you come through Turn 19, it resets, and then you have more power, a little bit more power in there,â Hamilton added.
His recommendation is that even drivers on slow laps should maintain full power through this section to ensure that no one is ever moving significantly slower than those on attacking laps. For more insights into the weekend's setup, see our 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix: all you need to know.
Simone Scanu
Heâs a software engineer with a deep passion for Formula 1 and motorsport. He co-founded Formula Live Pulse to make live telemetry and race insights accessible, visual, and easy to follow.