Source – We Sport
After some fierce on-track skirmishes, including a particularly heated altercation with his Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez, Liam Lawson concluded an exciting weekend in Mexico with zero points and a damaged car.
In only his second race weekend for Red Bull, called up as a replacement for Daniel Ricciardo, Liam Lawson proved that he was there to race hard. The New Zealander displayed remarkable speed and poise through Mexico’s 71-lap Grand Prix, navigating his way up the field in an ambitious inverted strategy. Starting in P12 on hard tires, Lawson’s approach was designed to capitalize on the latter half of the race, but the plan faced a stern challenge from an intense duel with local hero Sergio Perez. This fierce, early battle left Lawson’s car with lasting damage and provided a fiery spectacle for fans and teams alike.
The turning point came when Lawson and Perez found themselves head-to-head in a tense fight for P10. As Perez closed in on Lawson’s Red Bull, it was clear that neither driver planned to back down. Perez edged ahead briefly at Turn 4, but Lawson held his line, forcing Perez wide and creating a scrappy, closely-fought duel across the next several corners. Ultimately, Lawson emerged ahead, but the tussle left Perez with significant sidepod damage—a blow that ultimately pushed him out of points contention. Reflecting on the battle, Lawson noted the Mexican’s visible frustration after the race, saying, “I don’t know where he wanted me to go. I gave him space at Turn 4; he came in super late. Our pace wasn’t bad, so I’m not just going to get out of his way.” Lawson recounted how Perez aggressively shut down Turn 5, leaving Lawson with no room to maneuver. “I was on the lock-stop trying to turn the corner and avoid a collision, but I had nowhere to go. It’s frustrating; it wasn’t my intention.”
The early skirmish wasn’t the only challenge Lawson faced. Following Red Bull’s introduction of fresh upgrades in Austin, Lawson demonstrated impressive race pace that had him poised for a possible top-10 finish. But as the race wore on, he found himself entangled in another tight battle with Franco Colapinto’s Williams, pushing his car and patience to the limit. The duel left Lawson with front wing damage, forcing him into an unscheduled pit stop that saw him finish just ahead of Perez in a disappointing P16. Despite a respectable effort, Lawson’s result underscored a missed opportunity, as he explained afterward: “Very disappointing, especially when we had a package that was strong this weekend. Obviously a tough race—we tried the strategy that worked last week, and it just didn’t work today.”
Throughout the race, Lawson spent far more time in heavy traffic than expected, which blunted his strategy and limited his ability to extract full performance from his car. “We needed that clean air, and unfortunately, we spent the whole race just behind the gearbox of another car, so it’s just frustrating,” he said.
In a weekend that promised so much, Lawson left Mexico with mixed emotions. While he demonstrated tenacity and competitiveness, the missed opportunities and damaged car left him thinking of what might have been. His performance showed Red Bull and fans that he’s willing to battle hard and hold his ground, marking him as a driver with potential and determination to make his mark in Formula 1.
