Max Verstappen has doubled down on his race seat threat to Liam Lawson at the Mexican Grand Prix, saying that the Kiwi driver should not be picking a fight with him. Verstappen has reminded Lawson that he has always supported his cause within the Red Bull setup.
“Look, you’re fighting for your seat, so you definitely shouldn’t be picking a fight with me,” Verstappen told Viaplay after FP3 in Mexico.
“I’ve always supported him. I get along with him very well, and I’ve always spoken very positively about him within the team. I think it’s really unfortunate when something like that happens,” he added.
After the incident on Friday, Verstappen had urged Lawson to ‘act a little bit smarter’, especially given the fact that he is fighting for a race seat at Racing Bulls for 2027. The two drivers collided after Lawson pushed Verstappen off the track at Turn 14, followed by Verstappen coming back onto the track and aggressively barging into Lawson’s car.
‘That Doesn’t Happen To Me’: Max Verstappen Shares Stern Caution After Liam Lawson Incident
Verstappen has stated that he will not let any driver push him off the track the way Lawson did in FP2 in Mexico. The Dutchman said that is simply something that does not happen to him, irrespective of the other driver.
“I’m really not a difficult person. When I put on my helmet, I always try to get the most out of it, but not in practice,” said Verstappen.
“I just won’t let anyone push me off the track. That doesn’t happen to me,” he added.
Both Verstappen and Lawson have received a one-place grid drop for Sunday’s result as a result of their accident in FP2 at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. The incident was described as ‘unacceptable’ by the FIA stewards in their report.
Max Verstappen Reminds Liam Lawson of Red Bull Pecking Order After Mexican GP FP2 Incident
Verstappen has also reminded Lawson of Red Bull’s internal rules following their FP2 incident in Mexico, saying a driver for the sister team simply needs to respect the ‘A-team’. He added that he too did not show aggression towards any Red Bull driver when he was driving for the junior team, which was known as Toro Rosso, back in 2015.
“When you are in the same family, you’re always taught that you have to have a lot of respect for the A-team. I didn’t do this at Toro Rosso [what Lawson did]. You don’t go driving the Red Bull drivers off the track; you just don’t do that,” said Verstappen.
“Just think logically about the situation you are in,” he advised Lawson.
Lawson sits ninth in the drivers’ standings with 77 points coming into the Mexican GP and with five rounds to go this year. But the 22-year-old’s position at Racing Bulls is still not certain for next year, as Red Bull junior Nikola Tsolov, who is currently second in F2, is banging on the door.
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