Liam Lawson has claimed Fernando Alonso threatened to “screw” him after a scrap through the dash race for Components 1’s United States Grand Prix.
Racing for the primary time since changing Daniel Ricciardo after the Singapore GP, Lawson managed to irk Alonso whereas making an attempt to go the Aston Martin driver through the 19-lap dash on Saturday morning, the two-time F1 world champion feeling Lawson might have precipitated a collision.
Come qualifying, the New Zealander had his mirrors stuffed by Alonso popping out of the pits earlier than the Spaniard overtook him into Flip 1, delaying his progress.
“He mentioned he would screw me and I assume he stored his phrase,” mentioned Lawson.
“He was actually upset, I’m unsure why. We had been racing for P16 and I don’t know why he was so upset. It’s what it’s. Hopefully, he can recover from it and we’ll transfer ahead.
“Simply out of the field enjoying video games. It’s what it’s, it’s a part of it – it doesn’t hassle me.
“I perceive he had a reasonably horrible race so I can perceive why he’s upset. But when I did something flawed I’d have gotten a penalty. So, yeah…”

Liam Lawson, Visa Money App RB F1 Group, and Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin F1 Group
Photograph by: Motorsport Photos
Requested if he had anticipated to make a rival out of a two-time F1 world champion on his first outing of the 12 months, Lawson replied: “I don’t assume we now have a rivalry, we simply had an incident within the race and we will simply recover from it and transfer ahead.”
Alonso wouldn’t be moved into discussing what he had mentioned to Lawson after the session however felt their battle had been “pointless” given how far down the sector they had been.
“That’s between us,” he mentioned of the dialog.
Alonso had already labelled Lawson an “fool” over the group radio through the dash race earlier than passing the RB on observe throughout qualifying later within the day.
Requested by Autosport what occurred, he replied: “Qualifying? What occurred in qualifying? As a result of I had the scrubbed set, I used to be probably not right into a timed lap, so I did not need to lose extra time.
“It did not change an excessive amount of to him. However within the dash, we fought very, very arduous. He fought very arduous, in my view, for sixteenth, seventeenth. However nothing we will do.

Liam Lawson, RB F1 Group VCARB 01, Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin AMR24, Esteban Ocon, Alpine A524
Photograph by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Photos
“So long as one of many two automobiles lifts off, there’s by no means an accident. So it was my case at this time.
“Everybody on observe is behaving as he desires, and for me, at this time was pointless. You understand, everybody can have completely different opinions. I am OK with that. It is 24 races, so that you meet someplace within the journey.”
Speaking in regards to the incident itself, Alonso added: “On the straight, I believe we almost crashed, like I did with Lance [Stroll] two years in the past, at 300-something [km/h], after which the way in which he squeezed, out of the corners to the observe restrict itself… in lap one out of [Turn] 11.
“However I do not need to make an enormous factor [out of it]. There is no penalty when somebody lifts off in [Turns] 16/17 – that was most likely the most important shock.”
Alonso went on to qualify eighth for the race, whereas Lawson will begin from the again of the grid after a penalty for altering engine parts on the automotive he inherited from Ricciardo.