Friendly fire<\/p>\n
It\u2019s been dubbed the unofficial first rule of motorsport: don\u2019t crash into your teammate. But on lap 36 of 51, as the race resumed from a safety car interruption, Arvid Lindblad broke that by barrelling into Lawson at turn one.<\/p>\n
Lawson, who was 12th at the time, suffered damage to his floor on the left-hand side of his car and dropped down the order after he pitted to fit new tyres. And while he was able to fight back up the field to claim 12th, it could have been much more when considering Lindblad went from 15th to seventh.<\/p>\n
Liam Lawson at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Photo \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n
Lindblad was cleared of any wrongdoing, with officials going easy on the Brit considering the incident occurred at a restart. However, he should consider himself very lucky to walk away with his record clean.<\/p>\n
Alpine\u2019s Franco Colapinto has been handed a five-place grid penalty for the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia next week, after the Argentine triggered the initial incident that took out his French teammate Pierre Gasly as well as McLaren\u2019s reigning champion, the Brit Lando Norris, and triggered the chain reaction that saw Lindblad\u2019s error.<\/p>\n
To his credit, Lindblad apologised to Lawson immediately after the race, interrupting the Kiwi\u2019s media session to do so.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was an absolute mess, the restart,\u201d he said afterwards. \u201cEveryone was moving a lot, [it was] a bit of a shame to hit Liam.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut if you see the incident, you can see there\u2019s not much I could have done. I apologised to the team, there could have been two of us up there today.\u201d<\/p>\n
The wait begins<\/p>\n
While Red Bull opened the weekend by announcing French driver Isack Hadjar would remain on the grid in 2027, just what happens to Lawson remains the biggest question left to answer.<\/p>\n
Even if Lawson is one of the best-performing drivers on the grid, Racing Bulls\u2019 status as a development pathway into Red Bull might have the biggest say on what way the team lean.<\/p>\n
Liam Lawson drives at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Photo \/ SmartFrame<\/p>\n
However, Hadjar\u2019s place on the grid now being locked in effectively gives Red Bull a free hit for next year, without the need to groom another driver and leaving room for Racing Bulls to continue their current trajectory.<\/p>\n
Speaking in between the free practice sessions on Thursday night<\/a> (NZT), Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies, though, outlined that there is a clear timeframe in place for deciding which way Racing Bulls go.<\/p>\n \u201cNikola [Tsolov] is [having] a very, very strong [Formula Two] season,\u201d he said. \u201cHe is leading the championship and we are very, very happy with the progress he\u2019s been making, both on track and from what we see he\u2019s doing with us in Milton Keynes in the simulator.<\/p>\n \u201cWe think we have time to make that decision on what\u2019s going to happen for him next year. What matters to us is that we make sure that we put him in the right environment so that all his potential is coming out.<\/p>\n \u201cHis potential seems very high and we will make the decision in a few months on what his programme is for next year. For now, we let him concentrate on a rather busy weekend here with three races in Baku.\u201d<\/p>\n Just who makes the call remains to be seen. Mekies has previously indicated that the decision will be left to Racing Bulls team boss Alan Permane, while sources have also told the Herald<\/a> that Red Bull global managing director Oliver Mintzlaff will have a major say.<\/p>\n Tsolov\u2019s struggles<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Tsolov\u2019s own displays could also make that decision a lot easier. <\/p>\n Having been reported to have been guaranteed a seat for next year \u2013 albeit denied by Racing Bulls<\/a> \u2013 the Bulgarian\u2019s form of late hasn\u2019t been that of a driver who belongs at the highest level just yet.<\/p>\n At one point, Tsolov comfortably led Formula Two. Now, with two rounds remaining \u2013 and no guarantees over their place on the calendar due to the conflict in the Middle East either \u2013 he\u2019s dropped to second, having not won a race since Silverstone.<\/p>\n Since the summer break, the 19-year-old has managed a sole podium, coming in Baku\u2019s second feature race, and lost control at the top of the championship to Ferrari junior Rafael Camara, who himself is widely understood to be the front-runner for a seat at Haas next year.<\/p>\n For all his obvious potential, dealing with the pressure of closing in on a championship is clearly a work-on for Tsolov.<\/p>\nNikola Tsolov has let the Formula Two championship lead slip through his fingers. Photo \/ Red Bull<\/p>\n