Lawson Refuses to Yield - Apologizes for Gesture

Liam Lawson held his ground against Pérez but later issued an apology for his unprofessional gesture during the race.

Liam Lawson finished outside the points in Mexico, despite RB F1 showing strong form earlier in the weekend. He acknowledges that it’s frustrating not to have made the strategy work that earned him two points in Austin.

“It’s very disappointing because our car was strong this weekend. It was a tough race, we tried the strategy that worked last week, but it didn’t this time. We needed clean air and spent the whole race stuck behind other cars, so it’s frustrating,” Lawson said.

After the race, he spoke with Sergio Pérez, who had pushed him off the track early on and later complained about the New Zealander’s return to the track: “Yes, he was annoyed. I don’t know where he expected me to go, I gave him room at Turn 4, and he came in very late.”

“At that point in the race, our pace was good, so I wasn’t going to move over. I gave him space in Turn 4, and he pushed me off at Turn 5. I avoided a collision, but there was nowhere else for me to go.”

Lawson, however, apologized for giving Pérez the middle finger while overtaking him: “He spent half a lap blocking me, trying to ruin my race. I was annoyed. That’s no excuse; I shouldn’t have done it, and I apologize. It’s not like me, and it’s not something that should be done.”

Yuki Tsunoda’s race ended early after a collision with Alex Albon, who was squeezed by Pierre Gasly: “It’s always been like this in Mexico, my race ended at Turn 1 the last two years. I feel bad, there’s nothing to say.”

“The only thing I can say is that the mechanics did a great job fixing the car, and in a matter of seconds, I was out. I apologize to them, and I’m sorry I couldn’t make up for yesterday’s crash.”