Red Bull’s Sergio Perez did not hold back in his criticism of Liam Lawson after the pair’s clash during the Mexico City Grand Prix, accusing the young Kiwi of lacking respect and racing with the wrong attitude.
The incident occurred on lap 19 at Turn 4 when Perez attempted to overtake Lawson, only for the two to make contact, causing significant damage to the Mexican’s car.
Perez had managed to get ahead of Lawson at the apex of Turn 4, but Lawson held his ground on the outside and continued to fight through the Turn 5 switchback.
This persistence led to a collision, with Lawson’s front-left wheel clipping the floor and sidepod of Perez’s Red Bull.
The resulting damage caused a loss of downforce for Perez, further complicating his race after starting from the back due to a poor qualifying session and a five-second penalty for being out of position at the start.
“I had the manoeuvre into Turn 4 and then he was outside the track and just came straight like if there was no car,” a frustrated Perez told the media after the race.
“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.”
Beyond the on-track dispute, Perez was also incensed by Lawson’s attitude, reflected by the RB charger flipping the bird at Perez as he breezed past the Mexican on the straight.
There was clearly no love lost between the two drivers, especially as Lawson is potentially in line to replace Perez next season at Red Bull.
Perez also referenced the Kiwi’s previous skirmishes, particularly with Fernando Alonso in Austin, implying a pattern of reckless driving.
“He's not getting any penalties as well. He did the same with Fernando, with Franco [Colapinto] in the end. There are no penalties, so none of this is his fault as well,” Perez remarked sarcastically, clearly suggesting that Lawson had repeatedly escaped consequences for aggressive moves.
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When questioned about his relationship with Lawson within the Red Bull family, Perez’s response was blunt.
“I don't have any relationship with him,” he said. “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.
"When a two-time world champion was saying things last weekend, he completely ignored him. It's like when you come to Formula 1, you're obviously very hungry and so on, but you have to be respectful as well, off track and on track.
"I don't think he's showing the right attitude. I think he's a great driver and I hope for him that he can step back and learn from it.”
The veteran driver warned that such an attitude could have serious repercussions in the fiercely competitive world of Formula 1.
"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."
When asked if he believed Lawson’s aggressive racing was specifically aimed at him due to the potential Red Bull seat on the line, Perez deflected the question, pointing instead to Lawson’s pattern of hard driving against other competitors.
"Well, he nearly crashed with Fernando last weekend, he nearly crashed with Franco,” he said. “I think he's just racing everyone out of control at the moment."
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