The Red Bull Racing driver, Max Verstappen, has expressed his discontent towards Liam Lawson after a collision during the second practice session of the Mexican GP. Verstappen described the incident as ‘reckless’, considering that the New Zealander is fighting to secure his future in Formula 1.
The two drivers were wheel-to-wheel during the stadium sector just fifteen minutes into the session, which led to a collision that forced a red flag to clear the track of debris.
The dispute began when Verstappen attempted an overtake on the inside at corner 12, and Lawson, trying to match the move at the next corner, caused the four-time world champion to run off track. When asked if the accident was considered ‘unfortunate’, Verstappen replied: ‘I don’t think it’s just an unfortunate thing. Maybe it wasn’t a very smart move.’
Max ended the session in fifth place, 0.311 seconds off the best time set by Charles Leclerc, after suffering damage from the collision. Red Bull’s head, Laurent Mekies, confirmed that there was significant damage to the car, which hindered the driver from showing his best potential during the session.
Meanwhile, Lawson qualified in ninth position, 0.628 seconds behind Leclerc. In this 2026 season, the New Zealander has had a notable campaign, positioning himself for a potentially better spot in the standings with 77 points, but his future with the Red Bull team is uncertain.
With his grid place for 2027 still undecided, Lawson finds himself in a complicated situation. Red Bull often uses the sister team, Racing Bulls, as a temporary platform for their young drivers, and his position may be affected by the emergence of new talents like Nikola Tsolov, who is currently battling for the Formula 2 title.
Mekies has hailed that the incident between the two drivers was entirely avoidable, highlighting that neither of them was on a fast lap. The important thing now is to manage the damage to the car and prepare for the remainder of the race.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
