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Formula 1 rookie Liam Lawson is here to win races, not to make friends.
That was the message from the 22-year-old New Zealander when asked about multiple on-track incidents with Red Bull driver Sergio Perez at last week’s Mexico City Grand Prix, which ultimately resulted in Lawson giving his de facto teammate the middle finger.
Lawson, who was making just his seventh career start, finished in 16th for RB. While Perez brought his Red Bull car home one spot behind him 17th.
The two first tangled on lap 18 of the race when Perez attempted to overtake Lawson. The Kiwi driver positioned his car well and was able to defend, but made contact with Perez in the process.
“What is this idiot doing,” Perez shouted on his team radio.
Later in the race, on lap 41, Lawson overtook Perez and delivered the aforementioned crude gesture while doing so.
After the race, Perez said that Lawson ruined his race, but blamed the race stewards for not penalizing for previous incidents, giving him license to continue to drive in the same manner.
Lawson offered a half-apology ahead of this weekend’s Brazilian Grand Prix in Sao Paolo. But he followed up with a stern message to Perez and any other drivers on track.
“I’m not here to make friends. I’m here to win, and that’s what I’m what I’m focused on doing,” he said. “And in this situation, we’re fighting very hard for P6 in the constructors’ and I’m fighting obviously for my future in Formula 1 as well. So that’s what I’m focused on.”
Adding fuel to the fire is growing speculation that Lawson could replace Perez alongside superstar Max Verstappen at Red Bull next season.
Verstappen currently sits atop the Formula 1 World Drivers Championship, while Perez is all the way down in eighth. His struggles mean Red Bull sits in third in the Constructors’ Championship, behind both McLaren and Red Bull with just four races remaining.
Red Bull team principal Christopher Horner called out Perez several times this season. But up until this point, Perez has remained in his seat at one of the sport’s top teams.
Should Lawson excel, however, with Perez continuing to struggle, that could easily change in the near future.