Liam Lawson was ‘fighting for his career’ in Max Verstappen Miami incident, says David Coulthard

Liam Lawson collided with his former teammate Max Verstappen at the start of Sunday’s Miami Grand Prix, an aggressive moment given the ties between their teams.

Racing Bulls have often been accused of giving Red Bull, who own them, a bit too much help during races. But this time, Lawson didn’t give an inch from the very first lap.

Verstappen went for a move down the inside at turn 11, even though he was behind when braking began. The two cars met at the apex and both went off track, with Lawson staying ahead.

The Dutchman later said he would have been “impressed” if Red Bull had lost a position to Racing Bulls in that way. But it was all for nothing in the end as both drivers finished outside of the points in what was a disappointing day for Red Bull Racing.

David Coulthard backs Liam Lawson after early clash with Max Verstappen

Lawson then moved aside on the following straight, letting Verstappen through. Racing Bulls may have wanted to avoid a penalty, but it’s worth noting that stewards often go easy on lap one incidents, especially when both cars leave the track.

Commentator David Coulthard told F1TV that he understood why Lawson didn’t give Verstappen any room. After all, Lawson’s still fighting to secure his long-term future in Formula 1.

Carlos Sainz also spoke out against Verstappen’s approach, saying the Red Bull driver often relies on midfielders backing down rather than risking contact. In this case, though, Lawson didn’t back off.

Coulthard added: “Liam Lawson is fighting for his career. He doesn’t give any quarter to the sister team.”

Liam Lawson facing pressure from rising Red Bull prospect

Liam Lawson is currently teammates with 18-year-old Arvid Lindblad, who stepped up from Formula 3, but there may be another young talent coming through the ranks soon.

19-year-old Nikola Tsolov took his second Formula 2 win of the season in the Miami Sprint. Despite a crash in the wet Feature race, he still tops the standings after two rounds.

Tsolov looks like he’s on track to at least become the Red Bull/Racing Bulls reserve driver next year.

And if Lawson’s form slips, there’s a real chance that he could come under pressure from the Bulgarian driver.

Lawson recorded his first DNF of the season in Miami after a gearbox failure early on. Racing Bulls seemed to have lost some ground in Florida compared to their strong start to the campaign.