Racing Bulls fined €10,000 for technical breach

Racing Bulls have been fined €10,000 for a technical breach during Free Practice 1 at the Canadian Grand Prix after Liam Lawson’s Clutch Disengagement System failed to work.

Feature image credit: Getty Images // Red Bull Content Pool

On Friday, the Canadian Grand Prix got underway with just one sole practice session due to the event’s first-ever sprint race weekend format. However, it was hindered by a handful of red-flag stoppages, one being due to Lawson stopping out on track.

The New Zealander pulled off at the side of the track on the exit of turn four with ‘power steering’ issues. FP1 was then dropped under Virtual Safety Car conditions whilst the marshals worked to extract the stranded Racing Bulls car.

However, it was upgraded to a red flag as there were problems removing the car from the track. It was later revealed that the New Zealander’s CDS failed to work as per the technical regulations.

As such, Lawson and a team representative of Racing Bulls were summoned to the officials.

Liam Lawson referred to stewards for technical breach at Canadian Grand Prix

It was later revealed that the team were ultimately fined €30,000 for the incident, €20,000 of that suspended for 12 months on the basis that there will be no further issues in this regard. In the Stewards’ report, they said:

“The team’s engineer explained how the CDS system worked. It was noted that the system on this car performs two roles – the one for which is it primarily intended, namely to release the clutch when the car is stopped and the engine is not working, and the other relates to the anti-stall system.

“In this case, a ruptured joint caused a hydraulic leak, which caused the car to stop. The CDS, when activated by the marshal, then failed to release the clutch and hence the car could not be moved. This is a serious matter. It resulted in the session being red-flagged. Had the system worked as intended by the regulations, the incident could have been dealt with swiftly via deployment of the Virtual Safety Car.

“The Stewards note the concern of the FIA Technical Delegate, over the dual purpose of the CDS on this car. The Technical Delegate advised that the team had, in 2025, been warned about the CDS system design for its cars.”

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Despite this, Lawson had reported to the stewards that the Marshals perhaps need further training in this area after it was revealed a marshal trying to activate the CDS button, was actually trying to press a button on the onboard camera.

As such, the Stewards had advised that they’re now aware further training is required in this area.

“The Driver noted that there were two issues of concern that he wished to draw to the attention of the Stewards,” they added. “Namely, that contrary to his instructions and common practice, the marshals attempted to push the car when it was stationary, and that the marshal who attempted to activate the CDS was trying to press a button on the onboard camera rather than the CDS button.

“This indicates to the Stewards that further training in this area is required, notwithstanding the fact that the FIA distributes a very clear document addressing this action. (ref “FIA Single Seater Recovery
Specifications”).

“We note that it is obvious that the distribution of such a document, although well detailed, probably needs supplementing with some form of practical training by the organisers.”

F1 2026 Canadian Grand Prix: Full schedule and times

Read more Formula 1 here:

• Antonelli leads Mercedes one-two in incident-filled FP1 at Montreal
• Liam Lawson referred to stewards for technical breach at Canadian Grand Prix
• “Absolute Bull***t” says Komatsu on Ocon rumours
• Lawson hopeful Racing Bulls upgrade can boost Canadian GP challenge
• Ocon denies Haas exit rumours ahead of Canadian GP
• Hamilton on F1 future: “get used to it”
• Russell looks to hit back in Canada after Miami setback

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Kamron Kent

Hi, I’m Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion.

I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I’ve loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.

Kamron Kent

Hi, I'm Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion. I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I've loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.