Liam Lawson shares his honest opinion on the dust-up with Fernando Alonso in his very first race in 2024

Liam Lawson shared his take on the back-and-forth against Fernando Alonso in Austin in 2024 and claimed that he raced the Spaniard the same way he's raced everyone else. The Kiwi would be racing for Red Bull in the 2025 F1 season alongside Max Verstappen, but to convince the likes of Helmut Marko and Christian Horner of his potential, the driver had to perform in six races.

Lawson's first race with Racing Bulls (Red Bull's sister team) was in Austin, and in the sprint, the driver ended up in a fierce battle with Alonso. The battle included a few aggressive moves from Lawson that the Spaniard didn't appreciate, and the Aston Martin driver had a few choice words for the Kiwi.

The situation died down after that weekend, even though Lawson was once again involved with other drivers in on-track heated battles in subsequent races.

While attending the opening round of the Formula Regional Oceania Championship, Liam Lawson was questioned about what happened with Fernando Alonso. As quoted by PlanetF1, he said:

“I think I went in there obviously in a unique position. I had six races that I knew I was going to get, and that was my stint to prove that I was worthy of an F1 seat, whether that was in VCARB or Red Bull. That was all I had the opportunity for.

Lawson added:

“These guys have raced – especially Fernando, he’s raced a long time – so I went in there and made the most of every single lap that I drove in the car. I didn’t intend on p***ing him off, but obviously I just raced him how I race people, and it did that. So, yeah, I just tried to make the most of it.”

Liam Lawson feels he's not changed in any which way and just tried to make the most of the opportunities

The young Kiwi would be making his Red Bull Racing debut in 2025 alongside Max Verstappen but has achieved the promotion based on only 12 races. Talking about how for him it has been all about making the most of the opportunities he's had, Liam Lawson said:

“Honestly, I don’t think I’ve changed at all maybe I wasn’t on TV enough before or something like that, I don’t know, but basically this is how I’ve always raced, and especially with the pathway to F1, quite often it feels unfair, and I’ve always had to make the most of every opportunity."

He added:

“I’ve been extremely lucky with the timing of everything, so I went in there and raced exactly how I feel like I always have, and maybe knowing that extra bit of pressure, knowing what was on the line, maybe that obviously sparked a few more of my not-so-finest moments. But obviously I’m always learning as well, and I learn from those.”

Liam Lawson is essentially stepping into the Lion's Den in 2025 as he's teamed up with none other than Verstappen at Red Bull. It would be interesting to see how the pair works and how well the Kiwi can adapt to the new environment.