Liam Lawson lifts lid on Max Verstappen ‘impact’ after Mexican Grand Prix clash
Liam Lawson spent two races as Max Verstappen's Red Bull teammate in 2025
Liam Lawson has admitted that the fallout from his clash with Max Verstappen in practice at the Mexican Grand Prix made his weekend “very hard overall.”
And he has vowed to “learn from it” as he faces an anxious wait for a decision on his Racing Bulls seat for the F1 2027 season.
Liam Lawson: Max Verstappen clash had big ‘impact’ at Mexican Grand Prix
Lawson recovered from a pit-lane start to finish seventh in Mexico last weekend, strengthening Racing Bulls’ grip on fifth place in the constructors’ standings.
The New Zealander’s recovery drive came after he was disqualified from qualifying for a technical infringement.
Lawson’s qualifying DSQ came after he made contact with Red Bull driver and four-time world champion Verstappen in Friday practice in Mexico, with both drivers landing a one-place grid penalty as a result.
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Verstappen commented that it was “not very smart behaviour” for Lawson to pick a fight with him at a time he is fighting for his place with Red Bull’s sister team, with Lawson revealing that he sought out the Dutchman to apologise on Saturday.
Lawson has conceded that the incident with Verstappen cast a shadow over his Mexican Grand Prix weekend, with the collision making a big “impact.”
Asked if he is happy to move on from Mexico in light of his clash with Verstappen, he said: “Yeah. It’s not been ideal, honestly, overall.
“Obviously, I said yesterday [after qualifying] that it shouldn’t have happened and I’ll learn from it.
“But it’s unfortunately made a lot of an impact and made the weekend just very hard overall.”
Despite his impressive form for Racing Bulls this season, Lawson is yet to be confirmed for the F1 2027 campaign.
More on Liam Lawson and Racing Bulls from PlanetF1.com
The emergence of Nikola Tsolov, the Red Bull junior who currently sits second in the F2 feeder championship, has led to doubts over whether Lawson will be retained for next season.
PlanetF1.com understands that Lawson is highly likely to be retained for 2027, with Tsolov potentially taking a reserve role with a view to a future F1 promotion.
Asked if it is a shame that he is still not secure for 2027 despite outscoring rookie teammate Arvid Lindblad by 45 points, Lawson replied: “Yeah, it’s obviously a massive shame.
“But [it’s] something that I’m just having to deal with at the moment.
“I’m obviously trying to do everything I can each time I get in the race car, but unfortunately it’s just [not in my control] and I don’t really know what else to do.
“So I’ll just go out next week and try again.”
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