Lawson dismisses Tsunoda’s claims of deliberate blocking in Austin

Saturday’s qualifying for the US Grand Prix delivered plenty of drama, but one subplot involved a spat between Red Bull siblings Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda – a disagreement over alleged deliberate blocking that Lawson was quick to dismiss.

The controversy arose in Q2 at the Circuit of the Americas when Tsunoda accused Lawson of “disturbing me on purpose” and “slowing down like hell in corners” after the Red Bull junior driver got near him in sector two.

Both drivers failed to make it into Q3, with Lawson set to start 12th and Tsunoda 13th for Sunday’s Grand Prix.

For Lawson, the criticism came as a surprise.

“Honestly I have absolutely no idea what he has to complain about,” the 23-year-old Kiwi told reporters.

“I don’t really remember being in front of him in qualifying today. He’s obviously angry, he can be angry, but it doesn’t bother me.”

Frustration at Lost Potential, Not Blocking

Lawson was more frustrated by factors beyond his control. The VCARB 02, he believes, had far more pace than the session revealed.

“Overall it was very, very strong,” he said, reflecting on his car’s performance, having earlier finished ninth in the Austin Sprint race. “So it’s a shame we got a really big gust of wind at Turn 1 and it really upset the car.

“It’s just come at a really bad time. So it’s frustrating I think. If this was the best we had, OK I would have been obviously reasonably happy, but to have a very quick car this weekend and not extract it is frustrating.”

Tsunoda, meanwhile, maintained that Lawson slowed in a crucial moment, though he was unsure of the intent.

“I saw he was going very, very slow in Turn 11, kind of waiting for me, middle of the corner. So not ideal,” said the Japanese driver, who finished seventh in the Sprint.

“Until then I had enough pace to go through to Q3 and I lost everything from that – so it was very frustrating.”

Read also:

• Austin Speed Trap: Who is the fastest of them all?

Although uncertain if Lawson acted deliberately, Tsunoda plans to address the issue with the Kiwi: “I’ll mention it to him".

The spat was a minor bump in an otherwise reasonably competitive weekend for both drivers, with Austin’s gusty winds and technical kerbs causing headaches across the grid.

For Lawson, the takeaway is clear: he’s focused on extracting the most from a strong car rather than getting caught up in teammate disputes.

With both drivers starting mid-pack, Sunday’s Grand Prix promises plenty of opportunities for redemption – and, hopefully, fewer misunderstandings between the former Racing Bulls teammates.

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