In the context of the Mexican Grand Prix, Max Verstappen has expressed his frustration towards Liam Lawson following a crash during the second free practice session. The Red Bull Racing driver labeled the New Zealander’s maneuver as ‘not very intelligent’, considering that Lawson is fighting to secure his place in Formula 1.
The crash occurred in the stadium section, when both drivers were competing tightly. Verstappen tried to overtake on the inside at corner 12, but Lawson responded with a similar maneuver in the next corner, resulting in a collision that required a temporary halt of the session to clear the debris from the vehicles.
When asked if the incident could have been ‘bad luck’, Verstappen replied: ‘I don’t think it’s just bad luck. Maybe it wasn’t a very intelligent behavior on his part, considering his current situation.’ Despite the setback, the Dutch driver remained optimistic, stating that this would not affect his weekend.
During the session, Verstappen finished in fifth position, 0.311 seconds off the best time set by Charles Leclerc, while Lawson qualified ninth, 0.628 seconds off the fastest time. With this performance, Lawson continues his remarkable campaign in 2026, where he could achieve a personal best result in the standings, with 77 points so far.
However, his future at Red Bull is uncertain, as it is common for the second driver in the team to be under constant pressure, especially with the presence of emerging competitors like Nikola Tsolov. Red Bull has expressed concern about his performances and the need to improve to face the upcoming grands prix.
The situation gets complicated for Lawson, who, after a tough year at Red Bull in 2025, seems likely not to have a guaranteed future with the team. Red Bull needs to consider its options for 2027, and the internal competition between drivers intensifies. While his teammate, Arvid Lindblad, has been performing well, the pressure on Lawson is considerable.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
