F1 star reignites Red Bull feud: 'That guy f****** sucks!'

F1 News & Gossip

F1 star reignites Red Bull feud: 'That guy f****** sucks!'

Liam Lawson and Sergio Perez are F1 rivals once again

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Tuesday 10 March 2026 13:05

F1 star Liam Lawson has moved to reignite an old feud with Sergio Perez having battled with him once again both on and off track at last weekend's Australian Grand Prix.

Having been axed from his full-time seat at Red Bull following the conclusion of the 2024 F1 championship, Perez took a year off altogether before making his comeback with Cadillac in Melbourne last time out.

The Mexican racer played a huge role in Red Bull's constructors' championship success in 2022 and 2023, as well as the four consecutive drivers' titles won by his former team-mate Max Verstappen.

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But after a significant dip in performance, those in power at Red Bull opted to drop Perez and bring in Racing Bulls driver Lawson for the start of the 2025 campaign.

Famously, the Kiwi driver only lasted two rounds before he was demoted back down to the junior team in a seat he has managed to cling onto for 2026 just in time for Perez's return.

And it didn't take long for the duo to butt heads again.

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The first round of the 2026 season saw Perez and Lawson back racing on the same track once again having had their fair share of testy moments in the past.

The most memorable moment of their rivalry occurred at Perez's home race, when he finished a lowly P18 at the 2024 Mexican GP.

Lawson had rubbed salt in the wound whilst on track during that race, when he gave Perez the finger after overtaking him down the main straight, following a series of battles and even a little bit of contact.

In Lawson's opinion, Perez is still struggling to let go of that incident, with their rivalry being reignited last weekend when the pair battled once again, with the Racing Bulls machinery and brand new Cadillac car lightly making contact once again.

After the pair touched, the Racing Bulls driver took to team radio to say: "That guy f******* sucks," making his opinions clear when speaking to media after the race where he added: "Two years later he’s not over it."

"He’s fighting me like it’s for the world championship and we’re P16 - so, yeah.

"Obviously I don’t really care too much. My race was already over at that point, so we’ll just move on from it."

"It wasn’t anything illegal, he was just aggressive. Honestly, I don’t care. It was for P16."

Despite Lawson's comments, Perez seemed unbothered, telling media: "I was just trying to race him...It was a bit of fun racing, and that’s really it.

"I was in a much slower car, so I think it’s just fine to race."

Even after their momentary wobble, both drivers finished this year's Australian GP, with Lawson crossing the line in P13, three places ahead of Perez who was second from last out of the drivers who finished the race.

Red Bull Sergio Perez Liam Lawson Cadillac Racing Bulls