Liam Lawson has brushed aside comments from Yuki Tsunoda following an incident between the pair in qualifying at Formula 1‘s United States Grand Prix.
The pair were closely matched during the second qualifying session on Saturday at the Circuit of the Americas, one that saw both drivers fail to make the cut.
Lawson will start Sunday’s race from 12th on the grid, one place ahead of Tsunoda in 13th, after another on-track flashpoint reignited tensions between the two.
Tsunoda had already expressed frustration with the Kiwi during Sprint Qualifying on Friday, accusing him of forcing him wide while battling for track position.
The Japanese driver again voiced his displeasure around 24 hours later, alleging that Lawson deliberately impeded him during qualifying for the main event.
When asked about Tsunoda’s latest criticism, Lawson was quick to dismiss the accusations.
“Honestly I have absolutely no idea what he has to complain about,” Lawson told media including Motorsport Week.
“I don’t really remember being in front of him in qualifying today. He’s obviously angry, he can be angry, but it doesn’t bother me.”
Lawson frustrated to miss Q3 in Austin
But while he gave little notice to Tsunoda’s remarks, Lawson admitted to feeling frustrated by how his own qualifying session unfolded.
The 23-year-old felt that an untimely gust of wind at the start of his final flying lap in the second stage prevented him from reaching Q3.
“Overall it was very, very strong,” said Lawson, who finished ninth in the Sprint Race.
“So it’s a shame we got a really big gust of wind at Turn 1 and it’s really upset the car. It’s just come at a really bad time. So it’s frustrating I think.
“If this was the best we had, OK I would have been obviously reasonably happy, but to have a very quick car this weekend and not extract it is frustrating.”
Despite the setback, Lawson remains optimistic that the pace he showed earlier in the weekend will carry into Sunday’s Grand Prix.
“The car was good in the [Sprint] race and I think we probably found a little bit lap time again,” he added. “Hopefully we can try and move forward in the race.”
READ MORE – The ‘excuse’ Lando Norris avoided for missing F1 US GP pole
Discussion about this post