Liam Lawson: “Not something I should have done”
Liam Lawson has revealed that he was reprimanded by his father for flipping off rival Sergio Perez at the Mexico Grand Prix.
The Racing Bulls driver, in his second F1 race, had damaged Sergio Perez’s Red Bull in a collision at turn 4 of the race in Mexico.
The Mexican driver called the New Zealander an idiot on his team’s radio and then stated that he did not have the right attitude for F1. Later in the race, Lawson was seen making a rude gesture to Perez, a reaction that did not sit well with Red Bull’s sports advisor, Helmut Marko, or Lawson’s parents.
« This is not something I should have done,” Liam Lawson said on the TFN show for the New Zealand media outlet Stuff. « It’s a lesson for me, but at the same time, we compete at a very high level, and with so much adrenaline, it’s crazy.”
Lawson makes his mea culpa. It’s an experience from which I have drawn lessons, but obviously, in F1, we are in the spotlight, and maybe I hadn’t realized how everything can be visible. One must be careful.
When asked what his parents thought, Lawson admitted that: “They were not impressed. [I am] very fortunate to have someone like my father, who played a huge role, obviously in raising me as a man, but also as a pilot, growing up and trying to be professional in this sport.”
My father scolded me, as he has done many times over the years. He always kept me grounded, I would say, and it’s something he’s done since I was a child. So, you know, he wasn’t impressed by this gesture, and I completely understand why. And like I said, it’s not something I should have done, and I will learn from it. »
We can say that the young rookie with a strong character has managed to make a name for himself among his compatriots and his boss.
