Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson fell out with Red Bull superstar Max Verstappen at the worst possible moment.

Verstappen was publicly critical of Lawson after the two drivers came together in FP2 at the Mexico City GP, an incident that earned both a one-place grid penalty.

The four-time world champion said Lawson’s manoeuvre was unwise given that he was fighting to keep his seat for the 2027 season.

Liam Lawson told Racing Bulls he ‘let Max Verstappen go’ at Sao Paulo Grand Prix

Verstappen started Sunday’s race in Sao Paulo from the back of the grid due to an engine penalty, while Lawson lined up third.

Lawson only lost two places in the opening 10 laps despite being out of position, while Verstappen remarkably charged into the top six.

As he explained after the race, Lawson didn’t want to ‘lose time’ against the frontrunners, ‘especially’ a hard-charging Verstappen.

This aligns with an untelevised radio message to Racing Bulls engineer Alexandre Iliopoulos immediately after they exchanged places.

“Yeah, I let him go,” Lawson said.

After Lawson apologised to Verstappen in Mexico, this could be viewed as an on-track concession from the 24-year-old.

The Italian edition of Motorsport.com had reported earlier in the weekend that Verstappen wasn’t considered a ‘supporter’ of Lawson within Red Bull. This was a concern for the Kiwi because his voice carries a ‘significant’ weight in the team’s decision-making.

While he may not have called for Nikola Tsolov to replace Lawson outright, the Racing Bulls driver risked making a powerful enemy.

Perhaps Verstappen’s stance on Lawson will soften after he respected the unwritten Red Bull hierarchy in Sao Paulo.

It was reported on Monday that Racing Bulls now intend to keep Lawson, who ultimately finished an excellent seventh.

That extension will be down to his performances, rather than his deference to Verstappen, but the importance of Red Bull’s unique internal politics shouldn’t be underestimated.