P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Fernando Alonso and Liam Lawson engaged in a spat on Saturday at the United States Grand Prix.
During the United States Grand Prix qualifying, Liam Lawson acknowledged that Fernando Alonso had obstructed him, following a skirmish in the sprint race; however, both drivers downplayed the incident. Alonso branded his rival an “idiot” during a battle for P16, hinting at the pressure Lawson may be under during his racing tenure at RB. The two confronted each other in parc ferme post-sprint, with Lawson revealing Alonso’s threat to hinder him in the upcoming qualifying, where Alonso was in 8th and Lawson slated for a back-of-the-grid start due to a power unit change. Despite the tension, Lawson dismissed it as a non-issue, stating he understood Alonso’s frustration but maintained he didn’t break any rules. Alonso criticized Lawson’s defensive moves as unnecessary and referenced their near-crash, expressing surprise at the lack of penalties for certain maneuvers. Both drivers emphasized that their disagreement was just an incident and hoped to move past it without escalating into a rivalry.
