Sergio Pérez opens up after his F1 return — and rekindles his feud with Liam Lawson

Sergio Pérez had plenty to talk about after the 2026 Formula 1 season opener in Australia. The Mexican driver returned to the grid after losing his Red Bull seat — and did so at the wheel of an entirely new project: Cadillac’s debut entry in F1. With Valtteri Bottas retiring from the race, Pérez’s 16th‑place finish marked the best result for the brand‑new MAC‑26 in its first Grand Prix, a debut that included several intense on‑track battles. One of them, unsurprisingly, was with Liam Lawson.

The New Zealander and Pérez have clashed before, but none of their previous run‑ins reached the level of controversy seen at the 2024 Mexican Grand Prix — Pérez’s last home race to date — where Lawson flipped him off and snapped, “He’s fighting me like it’s for the world championship when we’re battling for P16.” Now, in Pérez’s fresh start with Cadillac, the two found themselves locking horns again — this time with Lawson driving the very RB seat that pushed Pérez out of the Red Bull system.

A heated duel in the midfield

While Lawson was fighting his way up to an eventual 13th‑place finish, Pérez was pushing to secure the best possible debut result for Cadillac. Their paths crossed repeatedly in the battle for 16th during the 58‑lap race at Albert Park.

The tension escalated quickly. First, Pérez forced Lawson wide at Turn 3. Moments later, at the end of the same lap, Lawson struck back with an aggressive overtake at Turn 11. That move settled the duel — and lit up Lawson’s radio once again: “This guy is disgusting.”

Stewards step in — and step back

Both drivers clearly had intent in their moves, but after reviewing the incident, the stewards decided not to penalize either one. Their conclusion: everything that happened was barely within the rules.

From Pérez’s cockpit, the frustration was mutual. “What’s wrong with this guy?” he quipped over the radio, reacting to Lawson’s move.

But once he stepped out of the MAC‑26, Pérez downplayed the drama and framed it as nothing more than hard racing: “It was fun — a fun fight.”

Another chapter added to their rivalry.

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