Liam Lawson has said he’s not in Formula 1 to “make enemies” but isn’t racing “to make friends” as he fights to secure a future within the Red Bull setup.
The New Zealander clashed with Red Bull’s Sergio Perez on track during the recent Mexico City Grand Prix and added a rude hand gesture for good measure when passing the Mexican.
Lawson later apologised after Perez questioned his attitude towards F1 following their clash and a separate incident with Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso.
Some GP competitors have far more friendly relationships, with many of the drivers also playing poker with each other during their downtime.
With talk ramping up Lawson could replace Perez at Red Bull either before the end of the year or next season, the RB driver isn’t planning on being complacent on track.
“My target is not to go out and make enemies with anybody, that’s not the goal obviously, but at the same time I’m not here to make friends, I’m here to win,” Lawson told select media including Motorsport Week on Thursday ahead of the Sao Paulo GP.
Lawson’s clash with Perez in Mexico raised eyebrows, as did his reaction mid-race.
Helmut Marko criticised the New Zealander post-race and Lawson said that “the target is obviously not to crash into any car, but especially a Red Bull car.
“And it wasn’t my target in the moment of the incident either. I was trying to avoid that.
“Looking back, maybe there are things I could have done differently, I could have cut the chicane and avoided it completely.
“But in the moment I’m racing, you have a split second to make this decision.
“So it’s something I’ve spoken to the team about afterwards and I’ve reflected on and I’ll learn from going into this weekend.”
Liam Lawson won’t change approach after speaking with Red Bull bosses
Perez cited Lawson’s on-track issues with Alonso and Williams’ Franco Colapinto to question the RB driver’s racing.
However, Lawson has no reason to change his approach.
The New Zealander also revealed that Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner, along with Marko, doesn’t want him to change his approach either.
“That attitude towards racing and how I approach races in Formula 1 won’t change,” he said.
“That’s how I’ll always be, but at the same time there’s things in there if I make mistakes I’ll always learn from them.
“I don’t think [Horner and Marko] want me to race differently.
“But obviously the target’s not to make contact with another Red Bull car and as I said at the time, it wasn’t my intention in the moment.”
With Perez’s F1 future hanging by a thread after a series of poor performances, Lawson was asked if his feisty approach is just what Red Bull needs alongside Max Verstappen.
“Honestly, I don’t know how to answer that question because I’m not the person deciding that stuff,” he replied.
“I race the way I race and that’s how I’ve always been.”
READ MORE – Red Bull admits Sergio Perez-Liam Lawson swap in F1 2024 ‘highly unlikely’
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