Liam Lawson has apologized for showing Red Bull's Sergio Perez the middle finger during the pair's heated battle in the Mexico City Grand Prix, admitting he acted out of frustration.
The clash between the two unfolded on lap 19, when Perez tried to overtake Lawson at Turn 4. The Mexican driver managed to get ahead, pushing Lawson wide, but the Kiwi kept his foot in and the pair collided on the right-hander switchback to Turn 5.
The contact caused damage to the left sidepod and floor on Perez's car, with Red Bull estimating a loss of around 65 points of downforce due to the bruising.
While Perez stayed ahead initially, Lawson soon overtook him on the main straight. In the heat of the moment, the RB charger showed his rival the middle finger, a gesture captured by the TV cameras.
Reflecting on the incident after the race, Lawson admitted it was a mistake.
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“It's obviously one of those at the moment things,” he explained. “He spent half the lap blocking me, trying to ruin my race, so I was upset.
“But it's not an excuse. “I shouldn't have done it, and I apologize for that.”
The 22-year-old rookie's behavior wasn't lost on Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko who blamed Lawson for the on-track contact while also noting that it had involved two Red Bull drivers.
“Checo was also very upset with Lawson,” the Austrian said, speaking to Viaplay. “So I think we have to sit down and discuss it.
“But we know Lawson is a very tough racer. He's very difficult to overtake. But it shouldn't be within, not teammates, but with sister teams. There should be more respect.”
Acknowledging Marko's discontent, Lawson admitted the incident didn't reflect well on him or the team.
“I don't think that's what Helmut likes,” he said. “It's not my character, not something you should be doing."
While Perez also laid the blame on Lawson, the young gun unsurprisingly had a different view of the situation.
“I left him space into (Turn) 4 and it was coming in very, very late,” he said. "Honestly, I tried to give him space.
“He drove me off the track, and then he didn't give me space since Turn 5. So, you know, it's unfortunate about the tension, but I don't know where he wants me to go.”
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