Verstappen tells Lawson to be ’smarter’ in seat fight

Max Verstappen has warned Liam Lawson that fighting a Red Bull stablemate so aggressively in practice is "not very smart" while his 2027 Formula 1 future remains uncertain.

The pair went wheel-to-wheel during Friday practice in Mexico, eventually making contact at Turn 14 and scattering carbon fibre debris across the circuit.

The session was briefly red-flagged while marshals cleared the track, and the stewards later handed both drivers one-place grid penalties for erratic driving.

"Maybe not very smart behaviour what he was trying to do there," Verstappen said.

"At the end of the day, it’s not going to change my weekend but if I would be him, I would act a little bit smarter," he added.

"Also when you’re fighting for your seat, it’s not very smart behaviour."

Lawson had complained over the radio: "He just drove into me. He drives into me every weekend."

Racing Bulls boss Alan Permane was unimpressed with both.

"I think one word, just ’unnecessary’ in a practice session," he said.

"Completely unnecessary and I say that to both of them."

The timing is awkward for Lawson, whose 2027 seat is still not confirmed and who admitted before the incident that he has deliberately tried not to think about it.

"Given how the season is going, especially the last few races, I don’t see any point in dwelling on it or worrying about it," said the New Zealander.

His potential replacement Nikola Tsolov was meanwhile driving the Racing Bulls in FP1 and finished only a tenth behind Arvid Lindblad.

Tsolov also had an unusual moment in the pits when he complained of losing feeling in his leg and stood up in the cockpit while trying to restore sensation.

At the front, Ferrari lived up to pre-weekend expectations, with Charles Leclerc fastest in both Friday sessions.

Red Bull technical director Pierre Wache acknowledged Ferrari’s strength.

"In slow corners, they clearly have a lot of downforce. We are not far away and hopefully we can challenge them," he said.