Racing Bulls team principal Alan Permane has voiced concerns that the damage to Liam Lawson’s car could be “terminal” and cause him to miss Sprint qualifying.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
The New Zealander suffered a disastrous practice session ahead of this weekend’s Canadian Grand Prix after grinding to a halt in the opening minutes following a hydraulic issue which caused him to lose power steering.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
To add to Lawson’s troubles, he is under investigation and at risk of a penalty due to his CDS (clutch disengagement system) not functioning correctly.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
The CDS is a critical part of vehicle recovery in Formula 1 after a crash or stoppage, allowing marshals to disengage the clutch without requiring the engine to be running.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Racing Bulls are in a race against the clock to ensure Lawson’s car is repaired in time for Sprint qualifying, a challenge made more difficult by the delay in returning the car to the garage.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Appearing in the team principals’ press conference in Montreal, which started roughly 40 minutes after the end of practice, Permane confirmed the car had yet to be returned.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
With the car taking a long time to return, the severity of the damage remains unclear, with Permane aware that it could either be a simple fix or one that results in Lawson missing Sprint qualifying.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Addressing Lawson’s stoppage, Permane said: “Yeah, very frustrating, especially on a Sprint weekend. It’s tough to lose the car so early on.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
“It’s a hydraulic leak. As I came up here, we didn’t have the car back yet, so I don’t know how serious it is.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
“It could be something very simple and we could be out comfortably for the next session, or it could be something a bit more terminal, so yeah, watch this space.”\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n