"He said he would screw me": Liam Lawson involved in a bizarre feud with Fernando Alonso

Fernando Alonso (L) and Liam Lawson (R) (Images via Getty)
Fernando Alonso (L) and Liam Lawson (R) (Images via Getty)

Liam Lawson and Fernando Alonso were involved in an odd tussle with each other at the 2024 F1 US GP sprint race and Grand Prix qualifying. Both had intense on and off-track moments.

At the start of the US GP sprint race on Saturday, Lawson was seen aggressively overtaking Alonso at the opening lap, and then rashly defending his P15 from the Spaniard. Both drivers were fighting for P15 and P16 throughout the race, where they came dangerously close to crashing into each other on Lap 2 in Turn 12.

Because of Fernando Alonso and Liam Lawson's intense battle for non-point places, Esteban Ocon took the opportunity to overtake both of them. After this, Alonso angrily called Liam Lawson an "idiot" on his team radio.

After the sprint race, the F1 grid prepared for the main Grand Prix's qualifying. The feud between the rookie and the veteran continued as Alonso overtook Lawson before Turn 1 in the Q1 session as soon as the green light came on. This was an unusual move since it was a qualifying session.

After the session, Liam Lawson revealed that Alonso said he would "screw him." The 22-year-old driver was confused as to why the Aston Martin driver was upset for P16 in the sprint race.

“He said he would screw me and I guess he kept his word. He was really upset, I’m not sure why. We were racing for P16 and I don’t know why he was so upset. It is what it is. Hopefully, he can get over it and we’ll move forward," Lawson said. (via The Race)

On-track near-miss with Liam Lawson at the US GP sprint triggered a horrific memory of a crash between Fernando Alonso with his current teammate

Fernando Alonso recently recalled his crash with Lance Stroll in the 2022 F1 US GP while talking about a similar situation with Liam Lawson in the 2024 F1 US GP sprint race.

Speaking to the media, he remembered his crash with Stroll while explaining his on-track tussle with the New Zealander. He then added that he did not want to make a big deal out of it.

On the straight, I think we nearly crashed, like I did with Lance [Stroll] two years ago, at 300-something [km/h], and then the way he squeezed, out of the corners to the track limit itself... in lap one out of [Turn] 11," Alonso said. (via The Race)
"But I don't want to make a big thing [out of it]. There's no penalty when someone lifts off in [Turns] 16/17 – that was probably the biggest surprise," he added.

Fernando Alonso starts the 2024 F1 US GP from P8, while Liam Lawson starts from the last place due to changes made to his car's power unit.

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Edited by Tushhita Barua