Sergio Perez has denied that his clash with Liam Lawson in Formula 1‘s Mexico City Grand Prix emanated from the RB driver’s eagerness to take his place at Red Bull.
Perez’s bid to recover from a nightmare Q1 exit in qualifying at his home event was ended when a wheel-to-wheel fight with Lawson on Lap 10 saw him incur damage.
The Mexican seemed to have made the overtake stick when he squeezed down the inside at Turn 4, but Lawson didn’t relent on the exit and the two collided at Turn 5.
Lawson, making his second appearance since replacing Daniel Ricciardo mid-season at RB, raised his middle finger as he swept past Perez’s wounded Red Bull RB20.
Perez, who trailed home as the last classified finisher, was incensed with Lawson’s driving, claiming that the New Zealander doesn’t possess the “right attitude” for F1.
Asked whether his opinion has changed in the week since, Perez told media including Motorsport Week in Brazil: “For me, this is obviously in the heat of the moment.
“Now there’s been a little bit of time to digest.
“I think all I can say is that the race was looking great for both of us at the time. Being on the alternative strategy, it was the start of the race.
“There were big opportunities and I think there was no need to come together.”
Red Bull ‘aligned’ on Mexico F1 clash
Having urged the Red Bull bosses to discuss the clash with Lawson, Perez is adamant all parties are on the same page when it comes to ensuring a repeat is avoided.
“I think we were all aligned in it,” he added. “We all felt similar. We lost a lot of points for us.
“I think at the time when you see when [Oscar] Piastri finished and he was much further away, we were on the alternative strategy, we were making progress.
“We looked pretty quick at the time. We definitely lost important points and at the end of the day that’s what really matters.”
Perez denies theories over Lawson aggression
Lawson’s return to the F1 grid with Red Bull’s sister team has been billed as an audition for a possible promotion to the senior setup amid Perez’s wretched campaign.
However, Perez has argued that Lawson’s run-in with Fernando Alonso in the United States proves that his rival’s aggression was not related to his Red Bull ambitions.
Pressed on whether he sensed Lawson got his elbows out more owing to what could be on the line, Perez retorted: “No, I don’t think so.
“When you look at the races, the amount of incidents he’s had, I don’t think that was biased to our Red Bull car or anything like that.”
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