Overview
- Liam Lawson stopped on track in Friday practice when a hydraulic leak removed power steering and forced the car to grind to a halt.
- Race stewards found the clutch disengagement system (CDS) did not function when the car stopped, triggering an investigation and a €30,000 fine with €20,000 suspended for 12 months.
- The team could not repair the car in time, so Lawson sat out Sprint qualifying and finished the day with only a handful of laps, leaving him without normal setup and tyre data.
- Racing Bulls principal Alan Permane warned the damage could be 'terminal' for the car and confirmed delays returning the car to the garage have complicated repair efforts.
- The Montreal failure follows a gearbox-related reliability problem for Racing Bulls at the Miami Grand Prix on May 2 and raises the prospect of increased regulatory scrutiny and competitive harm if faults recur.