Stricken Liam Lawson causes costly Canada practice red flag

Liam Lawson triggered a costly red flag just 12 minutes into the only practice session ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix, compounding the challenges of a Sprint weekend.

Why it matters:

With only one practice session before Sprint qualifying, any lost track time is critical. Lawson's hydraulics issue means he enters qualifying blind on setup and tire behavior, a major disadvantage at a demanding circuit like Montreal.

The details:

• The incident: Lawson's Racing Bulls car stopped at the exit of Turn 2 due to a suspected hydraulics problem, bringing out the red flag after an initial VSC was deemed insufficient.
• Sprint weekend impact: Because FP1 is the only practice session, Lawson will have no further opportunity to test the car before Sprint qualifying later Friday. The session was extended by four minutes, but that does not help him directly.
• Nearly a double blow: Franco Colapinto also suffered a throttle response loss just five minutes into the session, but managed to crawl back to the pit lane. Alpine later confirmed a hardware-related power unit issue was under investigation.

What's next:

Lawson's team will work to replace or repair the hydraulic system before Sprint qualifying, but the lost track time could leave him on the back foot for the rest of the weekend. Colapinto's issue, if resolved, may allow him to run normally.