Lawson reveals Alonso’s heated warning and post-Sprint actions, escalating tension after their intense on-track battle in Austin.
Liam Lawson and Fernando Alonso clashed during the Sprint in Austin, with the Spanish driver apparently warning the RB F1 rookie that he intended to get his revenge. The New Zealander had moved across the track on the straight, though he began his manoeuvre before the attacking Aston Martin driver made his move.
However, Alonso felt that his rival had defended too aggressively, leading to a warning of retaliation. In qualifying, Alonso overtook Lawson and hindered his preparation lap, which frustrated the young driver both in the car and later in the post-session interviews.
“I don’t know, he said he’d screw me over, and I guess he kept his word,” Lawson commented. “He was really upset, I don’t know why. We were racing for 16th place, and I don’t understand why he was so annoyed. That’s just how it is.”
“I hope he gets over it and we can move on. He was just playing games outside of the usual boundaries. It’s part of the game—I don’t mind. I understand he had a pretty awful race, so I can see why he was upset. But if I’d done something wrong, I would have been penalised.”
Lawson doesn’t view this incident as the start of a rivalry: “I don’t think we have a rivalry! We just had an incident during the race, and we can move on from it.”
While Lawson clearly outlined the details of their exchange, Alonso chose not to discuss it, simply stating that “it was between us.”
When asked about the qualifying incident with Lawson, the two-time champion played innocent: “In qualifying? What happened in qualifying? I wasn’t really on a timed lap, so I didn’t want to waste any more time.”
“And I don’t think it made much of a difference for him. But during the Sprint, we fought hard. In my view, he fought very aggressively, considering it was for 16th or 17th place. But you know, there’s nothing we can do. As long as one of the two drivers lifts off the throttle, there’s never an accident.”
“In this case, that was me. Everyone on the track behaves as they want, and for me today, it wasn’t necessary. You know, people can have different opinions. I’m fine with that. There are 24 races, so we’ll meet again somewhere along the way.”
Despite Lawson’s much earlier move, Alonso compared the incident to his crash with Lance Stroll in 2022: “On the straight, I think we nearly had a crash, just like I did with Lance two years ago, going at something like 300 km/h.”
“And then there’s the way he squeezed me on the exit of the corner, right up to the edge of the track. But as I said, I don’t want to make a big deal out of it. Of course, there’s no penalty when someone lifts off the throttle.”
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Alonso’s Retaliation Rattles Rookie Lawson After Austin Sprint Alonso’s Retaliation Rattles Rookie Lawson After Austin Sprint
