Liam Lawson has broken his silence after a frustrating weekend at the Italian Grand Prix. The Red Bull driver revealed that front wing damage caused by contact with Nico Hulkenberg was the main reason he failed to be competitive at Monza.
The incident occurred on lap 14, right after the restart. Lawson was alongside Hulkenberg entering Turn 1, and he believes Hulkenberg did not see him. Liam Lawson explained, "I lost my front wing. So had to box for a new one. That was really what cost us today." The contact forced him to pit for a replacement, costing him around 30 seconds and effectively ending his hopes of progress.
Having started from the pit lane after an engine change post-qualifying, Lawson had actually looked promising, climbing to 11th by lap 9. But the incident changed everything. "Just on the restart, I think Nico, I don't know if he didn't see me, but I was next to him into Turn 1 and I touched his back wheel and broke the front wing," Lawson said.
It wasn't just that incident; Lawson also received a black-and-white flag for defending too aggressively against Hulkenberg approaching Turn 4. The stewards reviewed the incident but took no further action after a warning from the Race Director. This added to the disappointment of a weekend that should have been an opportunity for him with Red Bull Racing.
On the other side, his teammate, Max Verstappen, managed to finish third behind the Mercedes duo. Verstappen admitted that Red Bull struggled against the Mercedes-powered cars on the straights. "For us to be on the podium, I think is a very strong result. Mercedes was clearly too strong, and for us to be behind them here, also after a difficult weekend in Zandvoort, I think is very positive for us," he said.
Lawson's failure at Monza contrasts with the performance of his former team, Racing Bulls, who scored points with Arvid Lindblad in eighth and Yuki Tsunoda in tenth. Despite the setback, Lawson could still get another opportunity with Red Bull as early as next weekend's Spanish Grand Prix at the new Madring circuit.
Read Also
Liam Lawson explains the incident with Nico Hulkenberg that damaged his front wing at the Italian GP, resulting in a frustrating 14th place finish. Read more.
Yuki Tsunoda keeps Italian GP point after stewards' probe. Read analysis of the stewards' decision and its impact on Racing Bulls in the standings.
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