"Liam Lawson stands by aggressive driving against Sergio Perez"
The conflict between Formula 1 racers Liam Lawson and Sergio Perez has extended beyond the race track, turning into a verbal battle after the Mexico Grand Prix last Sunday.
Adding to the tension, Perez is a driver for Red Bull Racing while Lawson has only participated in two races since being promoted to the sister team, RB.
22-year-old Lawson, hailing from New Zealand, expressed regret for showing Perez his middle finger while passing him during the race, but did not apologize for an earlier collision on Lap 19 at Turn 4 that caused damage to Perez's car.
Perez, 34, believed that Lawson's driving was too aggressive, a sentiment shared by Red Bull motorsport adviser Helmut Marko who deemed the collision unnecessary and placed more blame on Lawson for not giving Perez enough space on the turn.
\"I had the maneuver into Turn 4 and then he was outside the track and just came straight like if there was no car,\" Perez said. \"I think he could have avoided the incident, but he just went back. Luckily, I saw him and I opened the room, otherwise it would have been a massive crash. There was no need. We damaged both of our races. It was a little bit too much.\"
Lawson, however, defended his driving style and stated that it will not change.
\"My attitude towards racing and how I approach races in Formula 1 won\'t change, that\'s how I\'ll always be,\" he said. \"But at the same time, there\'s things in there, if I make mistakes, I\'ll always learn from them, and clearly in Mexico I made a mistake, and I\'ll learn from it.\"
Lawson also apologized for the hand gesture he made towards Perez, stating that it was a spur-of-the-moment reaction.
\"(Perez) spent half the lap blocking me, trying to ruin my race, so I was upset,\" Lawson said. \"But it\'s not an excuse. I shouldn\'t have done it, and I apologize for that.\"
Lawson, who has been a reserve driver with RB since 2022, took over veteran driver Daniel Ricciardo's spot in September and made his Grand Prix debut at the U.S. Grand Prix on October 20 in Austin, Texas. He stated that he is open to receiving advice and is not looking to make enemies.
\"... That\'s not the goal, obviously,\" Lawson said, \"but at the same time, I\'m not here to make friends, I\'m here to win.\"
Lawson finished 16th, one spot ahead of Perez on Sunday.
\"I don\'t have any relationship with him,\" Perez said after the race. \"I think the way he has come to Formula 1, I don\'t think he has the right attitude for it. He needs to be a bit more humble.\"
According to Perez, a new driver in F1 is \"obviously very hungry\" but must also show respect on and off the track, something he believes Lawson has been lacking.
\"I think he\'s a great driver and I hope for him that he can step back and learn from it,\" Perez said. \"In his first two grands prix, he has had many incidents. I think there will be a point where it can cost him too much, like it did this weekend.
\"I just think that he has to have the right attitude to say: \'Look, probably I\'m overdoing it a little bit, I will step back and start again.\' Because if you don\'t learn from your mistakes, Formula 1 is a brutal world and he might not continue.\"
