Liam Lawson: Bitter Sergio Perez fights me ‘like it’s for the world title’
Lawson did not appreciate Perez’ robust driving in the Australian GP, suggesting the Mexican acted out of bad blood
Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls, Sergio Perez, Cadillac Racing
Photo by: Martin Keep / AFP via Getty Images
Liam Lawson has claimed Sergio Perez fights him “like it’s for the world championship”, after the pair aggressively battled in Formula 1’s Australian Grand Prix.
Lawson dropped from eighth to 18th on lap one after failing to deploy his engine’s power for five seconds, which caused a frightful near-miss with Franco Colapinto; he then pitted under the first virtual safety car but ended up behind Perez’ Cadillac, who was up to 14th.
Renowned for his defensive skills, Perez pushed Lawson off the track on the exit of Turn 3 – which he was entitled to do according to the driving guidelines, as the Racing Bulls, on the outside, was not ahead at the apex.
Lawson eventually found a way past Perez on the inside in Turn 11, with slight contact between the pair as the Mexican turned in earlier than the Kiwi.
According to Lawson, Perez was acting out of resentment following their battle in the 2024 Mexico City Grand Prix.
At the time, Lawson fought tooth and nail when attacked by the Red Bull driver as the latter attempted to recover from a lowly 18th position in qualifying, in a difficult context when his future alongside Max Verstappen was at stake. Perez had called on Lawson to be “more humble”.
Sixteen months later, with Perez back in F1 after indeed losing his Red Bull seat, Lawson believes there’s a clear connection between the two incidents.
“Two years later he's not over it, so he's fighting me like it's for the world championship and we're like P16,” Lawson rued. “I mean, obviously I don't really care too much, my race was already over at that point, so we'll move on.”
Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls
Photo by: Rudy Carezzevoli / Getty Images
Asked by Motorsport if he was surprised that the stewards declared the incident warranted no further action, Lawson said: “It was nothing illegal, he was just aggressive. There was nothing to… honestly I don't care, it's for P16.”
Meanwhile, Perez insisted he was just having “a bit of fun” in an otherwise difficult afternoon on Cadillac’s grand prix debut.
“No, I mean, for me it was just racing. It was a bit of fun racing and that's really it. I was in a much slower car, so I think it's just fine to race,” Perez said after finishing 16th, three laps down and 2m04s behind Lawson.
Photos from Australian GP - Sunday
Australian GP - Sunday, in photos
Australian GP - Sunday, in photos
Australian GP - Sunday, in photos
Australian GP - Sunday, in photos
Australian GP - Sunday, in photos
Australian GP - Sunday, in photos
Australian GP - Sunday, in photos
Australian GP - Sunday, in photos
Australian GP - Sunday, in photos
Australian GP - Sunday, in photos
Australian GP - Sunday, in photos
Australian GP - Sunday, in photos
Australian GP - Sunday, in photos
Australian GP - Sunday, in photos
Australian GP - Sunday, in photos
Australian GP - Sunday, in photos
Australian GP - Sunday, in photos
Australian GP - Sunday, in photos
Australian GP - Sunday, in photos
Australian GP - Sunday, in photos
Australian GP - Sunday, in photos
Australian GP - Sunday, in photos
Australian GP - Sunday, in photos
Australian GP - Sunday, in photos
Australian GP - Sunday, in photos
Australian GP - Sunday, in photos
Australian GP - Sunday, in photos
Australian GP - Sunday, in photos
Australian GP - Sunday, in photos
Australian GP - Sunday, in photos
Australian GP - Sunday, in photos
Australian GP - Sunday, in photos
Australian GP - Sunday, in photos
Australian GP - Sunday, in photos
Australian GP - Sunday, in photos
Australian GP - Sunday, in photos
Australian GP - Sunday, in photos
Australian GP - Sunday, in photos
Australian GP - Sunday, in photos
Australian GP - Sunday, in photos
Australian GP - Sunday, in photos
Australian GP - Sunday, in photos
Australian GP - Sunday, in photos
Australian GP - Sunday, in photos
Australian GP - Sunday, in photos
Australian GP - Sunday, in photos
Australian GP - Sunday, in photos
Australian GP - Sunday, in photos
Australian GP - Sunday, in photos
Australian GP - Sunday, in photos
Australian GP - Sunday, in photos
Australian GP - Sunday, in photos
Australian GP - Sunday, in photos
Australian GP - Sunday, in photos
Australian GP - Sunday, in photos
Australian GP - Sunday, in photos
Australian GP - Sunday, in photos
Australian GP - Sunday, in photos
Australian GP - Sunday, in photos
Australian GP - Sunday, in photos
Australian GP - Sunday, in photos
Australian GP - Sunday, in photos
Australian GP - Sunday, in photos
Australian GP - Sunday, in photos
Australian GP - Sunday, in photos
Australian GP - Sunday, in photos
Australian GP - Sunday, in photos
Australian GP - Sunday, in photos
Australian GP - Sunday, in photos
Australian GP - Sunday, in photos
Australian GP - Sunday, in photos
Australian GP - Sunday, in photos
Australian GP - Sunday, in photos
Australian GP - Sunday, in photos
Australian GP - Sunday, in photos
Australian GP - Sunday, in photos
Australian GP - Sunday, in photos
Australian GP - Sunday, in photos
Australian GP - Sunday, in photos
Australian GP - Sunday, in photos
Australian GP - Sunday, in photos
Australian GP - Sunday, in photos
Share Or Save This Story
Alpine’s 2026 F1 form no surprise to Racing Bulls
Romain Grosjean turns 40 – here’s his career in 10 key moments
Niels Wittich: Michael Masi a “scapegoat” who “didn’t do much wrong” at Abu Dhabi 2021
Cadillac F1 announces free Miami fan experience for 2026 grand prix weekend
Cadillac faces “biggest challenge” to close F1 gap, says Sergio Perez
Cadillac drivers identify the F1 team's next steps: "We need a second now"
Racing Bulls planning double upgrade due to enforced April break for F1
Why F1 drivers will always complain about new rules, according to Liam Lawson
F1’s 2026 reset spreads field out to its widest since 2017
Daniel Dye to make NASCAR Cup debut at Talladega as part of four-race deal
Giacomo Agostini backs 2027 MotoGP rules: “Wings belong on planes, not bikes”
IndyCar reveals Push to Pass software failure, won't issue penalties
Jacob Abel set to run Indy 500 with Abel Motorsports
Why this quintessential late-1970s F1 car stands out in the history of the Tyrrell team
The political shift that will determine F1's next engine formula
Is it now or never for Russell in hunt for F1 title?
The top 11 lost F1 victories after the flag
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments