Fernando Alonso ‘actually nice’ to Liam Lawson after US GP spat

Liam Lawson said he expected a more prickly Fernando Alonso in Sunday’s United States GP as the pair continued their on-track fight.

Liam Lawson and Fernando Alonso spent most of the weekend in Austin close together on track, leading to a particularly terse atmosphere after the Sprint race on Saturday.

Fernando Alonso threatens to ‘screw’ Liam Lawson

Additional reporting by Elizabeth Blackstock

At the start of Q1 on Saturday, Alonso followed Lawson out of the pit exit before the two-time World Champion nipped in front of him heading up to Turn 1, to move ahead of the VCARB driver in the queue.

Lawson believed such a move may have been telegraphed on his part, telling his race engineer that “he’s doing exactly what he said he would do”, and that Alonso “kept his word” after saying he would “screw me” after their battle became heated in Saturday’s Sprint.

Lawson told media, including PlanetF1.com, afterwards: “He was really upset. I’m not sure why, we were racing for P16, and I don’t know why he was so upset.

“It is what it is. Hopefully, he can get over it.

“I understand he had a pretty horrible race, so I can understand why he’s upset, but if I did anything wrong, I would have got a penalty.”

Alonso, who had been seen animatedly discussing Lawson’s racing in the Sprint as the pair walked back to their garages, did not say his move in qualifying was in response to Lawson’s defending, but rather that he needed to get a timed lap on the board while on a set of used tyres.

“He said he would screw me, and I guess he kept his word,” Lawson said of Alonso to the media after qualifying.

“I don’t know, he was really upset. I’m not sure why, we were racing for P16, and I don’t know why he was he so upset,

“It is what it is. Hopefully, he can get over it.

“I understand he had a pretty horrible race, so I can understand why he’s upset, but if I did anything wrong, I would have got a penalty.”

Alonso hinted that the uncertainty surrounding his future may have contributed to Lawson’s aggressive move in the sprint race, remarking that his career is “at stake” over the next six races.

He told Spanish media: “Too much action, maybe, from Lawson, who has six races to prove things.

“I don’t think it’s the best way, but it’s his career at stake and not mine.”

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Liam Lawson: Fernando Alonso was ‘actually nice’ today!

Lawson ended up meeting Alonso on track during the Grand Prix once again, but there were no histrionics this time as the pair raced cleanly – Lawson came out on top to reach the chequered flag in ninth and add to the points he scored in last year’s Singapore Grand Prix.

Speaking to the media afterward, Lawson laughed as he was asked about encountering Alonso for another on-track battle.

“He was actually nice today!” he said.

“I expected him to fight me a little bit more, but it was good. I think it was smart from both of us for that part of the race, very early on, and I think the hard was working for us quite well at that point.

“Obviously, he’s very experienced, much more experienced than I am, and there are obviously things I can learn from him. So, yeah, happy with the race.”

Asked whether he thought it was cool to have got the attention of the double world champion in his first race back in F1 as he aims to secure a full-time seat next season, Lawson said: “Being a kid watching on TV when I was racing go-karts, he’s somebody that I have a huge amount of respect for, and what he’s done in Formula 1. There are things from guys like him I can learn a lot from.”

As for whether the pair had conversed with cooler heads on Sunday, Lawson said: “Not today! I don’t know if he wants to talk to me, but maybe I will!”

The Kiwi driver put in the exact type of weekend he needed to as he bids for a seat on the grid with a Red Bull team in F1 2025. With a VCARB seat up for grabs and the slight possibility of a possible replacement at Red Bull, Lawson showed aggression and speed to score points from the back of the grid.

“Yeah, the first lap was good,” he beamed afterward.

“It was obviously carnage at Turn 1, and I was just in a good place and managed to get around it.

“Then, from there, just settled in, and the hard tyre worked really, really well for us.

“So, yeah, a big step with the car from yesterday, which is really positive. It’s hard to do that on the weekend – from where you started, it’s hard to really make a big step like that. And I think we did that because of how hard the guys worked on the car. So very happy.

“It’s definitely important. Obviously, it’s also what I’m here to do. I’ve got a goal of staying in Formula 1 and I know these races are very important, so it’s doing exactly what I’m here to do. We have five more very important races as well to focus on.”

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