Max Verstappen has criticized Liam Lawson following their clash during second free practice at the Mexican Grand Prix, saying it was “not very smart” given the New Zealander is fighting for his Formula 1 future.
The Red Bull and Racing Bulls drivers went wheel to wheel in the stadium area after 15 minutes, causing a collision between the two. A brief red flag was waved to clear debris from the circuit.
Verstappen initially went down the inside of Turn 12 before Lawson attempted a similar move for the next corner, causing the four-time world champion to crash out.
So when asked by Sky Sports if the incident was “unlucky”, Verstappen replied: “Well, I don’t think it’s called unlucky. Maybe not very intelligent behavior, what he was trying to do there.”
“At the end of the day, it won’t change my weekend, but if I were him, I’d act a little smarter. Plus, when you’re fighting for your spot, that’s not very smart behavior.”
Verstappen then had a difficult session, finishing fifth, 0.311 seconds behind leader Charles Leclerc, after suffering damage from the collision.
Red Bull boss Laurent Mekies told Sky Sports Germany: “Max had a bit of a disrupted session obviously with the contact with Liam.
“So there’s quite a bit of damage to the car, so it’s a bit of a shame because obviously we had to continue like that with the car.
“But again, Max is also building. The picture is a little fuzzy, but we’ll probably have a little work to do tonight to get them into a better window.”
As for Lawson, he finished ninth, 0.628 seconds behind Leclerc, amid an impressive 2026 campaign for the Kiwi who is on course for a career-high ninth place in the standings with 77 points.
But his place on the 2027 starting grid is still undecided given he is part of Red Bull’s sister team, which is usually just a temporary home for the Austrian brand’s top youngsters.
Yet this is now Lawson’s second full season, and after a disappointing spell at Red Bull in 2025, a return is unlikely, so questions arise around his future within the organization.
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, Liam Lawson, Red Bull Racing
Photo by: Andy Hone/LAT Images via Getty Images
This is notably due to F2 title contender Nikola Tsolov, Red Bull’s next prodigy, while his teammate is rookie Arvid Lindblad who put in a solid performance with 38 points.
Mekies added of the incident: “None of them are on a fast lap. So all I can say is it seems very, very unnecessary.
“These things happen, it shouldn’t happen, but it happens. The only thing I care about after that is the car is damaged. That’s the problem we have, but we’ll fix it tomorrow.”
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