Franco Colapinto gives terse response following Liam Lawson collision in Mexico

Henry Valantine
Franco Colapinto racing Liam Lawson in Mexico.

Franco Colapinto and Liam Lawson had a tight battle late on in Mexico.

Franco Colapinto gave a forthright response to his contact with Liam Lawson late in the Mexico City Grand Prix, refusing to say much himself on the subject.

The Williams driver added “you can ask him maybe to describe it”, after the two youngsters tagged at Turn 2 during Sunday’s dramatic race.

Franco Colapinto gives verdict on Liam Lawson collision in Mexico City

Additional reporting by Elizabeth Blackstock

VCARB driver Lawson made a move down the inside of Colapinto’s Williams at Turn 1, but appeared to run him off the road by using the track to its fullest before the entry to the Turn 2/3 chicane.

The Argentinian driver rejoined the track at that point, with Lawson’s front wing tagging the back of the Williams, forcing the New Zealander back into the pit lane late on with damage.

Colapinto, who has established an early reputation for being one of the chattier drivers in his dealings with the media, was not too keen to expand on that moment with Lawson – adding that his contact with the VCARB was not the only moment his right-rear tyre was tagged on Sunday.

When asked for his view of the incident with Lawson after the race, Colapinto told media including PlanetF1.com: “No, you can ask him maybe to describe it.

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“I think he broke quite late, and he went wide in T1. He pushed me off, and then he tried to do the cut back into Turn 2 and hit my rear right. So not much to say.

“But Oscar [Piastri] also hit me in T1 – looks like everyone was looking for my rear right this race, but it was, I think, a decent race.

“It was not quite enough for points this weekend. We were not strong enough in the race pace, but I think we have a better chance now.”

Lawson gave his own response following that moment, having been brought back into the pits for a new front wing and a set of soft tyres for the final laps of the race, adding it was simply “unnecessary” and did not blame the Williams driver for that moment.

He explained to media including PlanetF1.com: “I tried to get the space in [Turn] 1, and then I gave him plenty of space in [Turn] 2, but he obviously carried a lot of speed in and at that point, when I saw the speed he was carrying, I tried to brake and get out of it, but I ran out of space, and it was just a clumsy incident.

“I don’t really put it on him. I don’t think it was really his fault, It was just an unnecessary incident.

“I was trying to make the corner. I was hard on turning right, you know, trying to make the corner. But, yeah, I obviously squeezed him through [Turn] 1, but I gave him space into [Turn] 2.”

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