Formula One fans reacted with joy and dismay after Liam Lawson appeared to give rival Serio Perez the middle finger when he overtook him during an incident-packed Mexican Grand Prix on Sunday.
The shocking moment came amid speculation that Lawson could be in line to take Perez’s seat at Red Bull next year after the Mexican put in another very disappointing race to finish 17th, one place behind the New Zealander.
Lawson appeared to make the rude gesture when he passed him on the main straight of the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez at the end of the race.
He had beaten the Mexican at his home track all weekend, outrunning him in practice on Saturday and overtaking him in qualifying to start 12th on the grid compared to Perez’s 18th.
Lawson also left Perez’s car damaged when the two collided while battling for 10th place during the race, with the Red Bull star later saying his rival “took the whole side of his car off.”
A clip of Lawson’s fiery act took off on social media and left fans divided, with some enjoying the conflict while others branded the Kiwi as unprofessional and childish.
‘Liam was to blame for the incident. He wants the RB (Red Bull) seat so much that he didn’t give Checo (Pérez) space. This is not the way to get that seat, you should show more respect to Checo who is a kid,’ one fan wrote.
“That’s absolutely pathetic,” added another.
Liam Lawson (pictured after the Mexican Grand Prix) left fans divided when he appeared to give the middle finger to Sergio Perez during an overtaking move.
The fiery moment on the main straight in the closing stages of Sunday’s race (pictured) left F1 fans divided on social media.
Lawson (left) is speculated to be locked in a battle with Perez (centre) for the Red Bull seat behind Max Verstappen next year.
“I think Liam is going to need some bodyguards to get off the circuit,” joked a third.
Other commentators thought the crash is something F1 needs more of.
“I’m just letting Checo know that that will be his seat next year,” one said.
Others wrote ‘I love it!’, ‘We’ve got our sport back,’ ‘Lawson is easily one of my new favorites,’ and ‘This is really cool.’
After the race, Perez expressed his anger over the incident that left his car damaged.
“I was ahead at turn five, he went off the track coming back, I didn’t expect him to go straight,” the Red Bull star said.
“He ripped the whole side off the car, but I don’t think it’s his fault because he doesn’t get any penalties.”
‘He did the same to Fernando (Alonso) last weekend, he did the same to Franco (Colapinto) at the end of the race and without penalty.
“I just told him I think we ruined both of our careers.”
Lawson moved up to fourth at one point in the grand prix, but his collision with Colapinto forced him to make an unscheduled pit stop and he finished 16th.
The 22-year-old took the seat from Australian Daniel Ricciardo in the RB Honda team in a move that made headlines at the end of September.
Some fans criticized Lawson for his behavior and made reference to an earlier clash between him and Perez at the grand prix.
Others praised the 22-year-old New Zealander for injecting some drama into the race, with some joking that he would need help off the track after knocking down Perez at his home GP.
The 35-year-old Australian has competed in F1 since 2011 and was on the podium in eight Grands Prix during an excellent career. However, he has only finished in the top 10 in three of his 18 races this year.
The New Zealand driver replaced Ricciardo in five races during the 2023 campaign after the Australian broke his wrist in a crash at the Dutch Grand Prix.
Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz took the checkered flag in Mexico City after an incident-filled race that shook the standings in both the drivers’ and constructors’ world championships.
McLaren’s Lando Norris closed the gap on Max Verstappen by finishing second, with the Dutchman sixth after receiving two 10-second penalties for his driving in turns four and eight.
That reduces the defending champion’s lead to 47 points, with 120 still up for grabs heading into Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Sunday, after which there will be three rounds remaining.
Charles Leclerc took the final podium spot for the Prancing Horse team, which now has 537 points in the constructors’ standings, having overtaken Red Bull with 512 and closing in on leaders McLaren with 566.
