Untelevised team radio footage from the Miami Grand Prix has revealed the moment Liam Lawson realised a technical problem had led to his collision with Pierre Gasly’s Alpine.

It comes after the FIA announced that the Racing Bulls driver had escaped a penalty after Gasly’s car rolled in a scary incident in Florida.

Liam Lawson team radio emerges after Miami Grand Prix scare

Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for news you can trust

Lawson and Gasly made contact at the Turn 17 hairpin on Lap 5, with the Alpine flipping upside down before striking the barrier.

Gasly retired on the spot with Lawson withdrawing from the race a lap later.

Following a post-race investigation, the FIA stewards declared that Lawson would face no further action after a gearbox failure was found to have led to the incident.

Analysis: Miami Grand Prix

Miami GP conclusions: Antonelli insecurity, Verstappen impatience, F1’s TV fail

Winners and losers from the 2026 Miami Grand Prix

A section of the stewards’ report read: “The driver of Car 30 [Lawson] explained that just before the collision, he had a technical issue as his gearbox failed under braking.

“The stewards reviewed the in-car data and telemetry and confirmed that there was clearly a gearbox failure just before the incident in question.

“The radio communications were also consistent with the fact that there was a gearbox failure.

“We therefore accept the driver’s explanation that this was a failure of a mechanical part in the car and that there was nothing that he could do to avoid the collision.

“We also considered whether the driver of Car 30 had the ability to anticipate the failure of the gearbox and decided that it would not have been possible for him to do so.”

Untelevised team radio footage from the race has revealed how Lawson was caught out by the gearbox fault with his race engineer, Alexandre Iliopoulos, providing guidance from the pit wall.

Onboard footage shows the lights on Lawson’s steering wheel flashing rapidly as he applies the brakes for Turn 17, with the Racing Bulls driver unable to avoid contact with Gasly.

After Gasly’s car comes to a rest against the barrier, Lawson is heard reporting an issue with his VCARB03. The exchange went as follows:

Lawson: “Oh no… I lost the transmission!”

Iliopoulos: “Stay out, stay out.”

Lawson: “I went to anti-stall.”

After falling to the rear of the field, Lawson manages to get back up to speed as the safety car is deployed, with his car seemingly running as normal on the pit straight.

Lawson: “As soon as I braked, I got neutral and anti-stall.”

Iliopoulos: “Copy, we’re checking.”

However, the issue appears to flare up again as Lawson applies the brakes for Turn 1.

Lawson: “It’s gone again, bro. It’s gone, it’s gone.”

With no reply as he makes his way through the first series of corners, Lawson appears frustrated by the radio silence on the pitwall.

Lawson: “Any information would be great!”

Iliopoulos: “We’re trying, Liam. We’re trying.”

The problem appears to worsen as Lawson approaches the fast sweepers of the first sector, where his speed drops significantly.

Lawson: “It’s destroying something, I can hear it. It’s really bad with the gearbox.”

Lawson: “If I let go of the clutch, it’s making terrible noises.”

Iliopoulos: “Yeah, copy that, Liam. Standby.”

Lawson is then told to return to the pit lane as he goes up through the gears on the back straight.

Iliopoulos: “OK, Liam. Bring it back, bring it back. Slow in. And box, box.”

Lawson: “Do you want slow mode or something?”

Iliopoulos: “Do not change gears if you can.”

Lawson: “OK, I’ll stay in second.”

Moving at slow speed at this stage, the New Zealander is warned to watch out for Nico Hulkenberg’s fast-approaching Audi before returning to the pits to retire the car.

Iliopoulos: “Hulkenberg, three behind.”

Iliopoulos: “Hulkenberg is behind you.”

Iliopoulos: “And we box, box. Retire the car.”

Lawson: “Copy.”

Iliopoulos: “And switch off.”

Lawson’s DNF marks his first retirement of the F1 2026 season and his first since last year’s Mexican Grand Prix.

His early exit in Miami brought an end to his run of two consecutive points finishes, having come home seventh and ninth in China and Japan respectively.

Lawson’s only previous successive points finishes came last year when he finished eighth in Belgium and Hungary.

Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.

You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!

Read next: Miami Grand Prix driver ratings: Kimi Antonelli leads chaotic race weekend