Lawson shrugs, Tsunoda seethes after costly Italian GP clash

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The Italian Grand Prix delivered several moments of drama in the midfield, one of which involved Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson and Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda who tangled in a scrappy duel on lap 30, igniting headlines in what some dubbed a “family feud” between the two Red Bull-linked teams.

Lawson, starting from the back of the grid, had opted for a bold strategy on soft tyres – a gamble that didn’t pay off.

His afternoon turned sour when an ambitious move at Turn 4 saw the Kiwi lock up and collide with Tsunoda before both cars bounced across the chicane. Lawson briefly emerged ahead but quickly handed the place back.

Reflecting on the race, Lawson admitted it had been a frustrating day.

"The race was frustrating, we tried to start on softs and gamble a little bit, and it didn't really work, so sometimes it's like that," Lawson explained.

"I think the car has been fast this weekend, but it's a shame to walk away with no points, but obviously positive to go forward into the next few races with a fast car."

As for the incident with Tsunoda, Lawson played down the drama.

"Yeah, it was just nothing really to it, honestly, he passed me in Turn 1, I tried to pass him back in Turn 4 and I had no room on the right-hand side, so we touched, went through the chicane and then I gave the place back."

Tsunoda fumes: “Frustrating and unnecessary”

Unsurprisingly, Tsunoda didn’t share Lawson’s casual outlook on the incident. The Japanese driver, still fighting to prove his worth at Red Bull for 2026, said the contact left him with car damage that ruined his chance at points.

"I got distracted by Lawson, who made [contact with me] and that was quite big. I picked up damage and that was big enough to slow me down quite a lot, so very frustrating and very unnecessary for me," Tsunoda said.

The Red Bull driver revealed the consequences were more significant than outsiders might assume.

"I haven't heard the specific details, but it's not even like a few points, it's really, really big," he explained.

"I was gaining one second per lap, and he started last and he was not even fighting for points. So I don't know, but if you're fighting for points, there's room that I can understand because even with a sister team... we're enemies and especially this position where I'm sitting now is probably my most high competition out of any world.

"But at the same time, there's a line, you can't cross it and I mean, what's the point? I was fighting for points and he wasn't. I don't know what to say."

With Tsunoda under pressure to keep his seat and Lawson eager to remind Red Bull of his talents after being dropped earlier this season, the Monza flashpoint might just add more fuel to Red Bull’s looming driver dilemmas.

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Michael Delaney