Liam Lawson is starting to sound like a man who’s had enough of Sergio Perez’s elbows — and, crucially, feels he’s seen this movie before.
Their latest skirmish came in Saturday’s Canadian Grand Prix Sprint, where Perez was hit with a 10-second penalty for forcing Lawson off the track during a scrap over 11th. In a 23-lap dash where the points only go so deep, it was the kind of needless flashpoint that leaves both teams shaking their heads: risk dialled up, reward basically non-existent.
Lawson’s take afterwards was blunt, and not especially surprised. “Obviously, I was trying to come through the field from the back, and I just have to be careful when racing him,” he said. “He’s quite aggressive. So in the end, he pushed me off, and I just decided not to race him anymore. It’s not really worth it for no points… seems to be a thing when I race with him.”
The “thing”, as Lawson put it, has roots. Their rivalry properly ignited in 2024 when the pair were effectively fighting for a future alongside Max Verstappen at Red Bull Racing. It got spiky — the kind of intra-family, high-stakes contest where every overtake comes with an extra half-second of intent — and while Lawson ultimately landed the Red Bull seat, it didn’t last long. Perez, meanwhile, exited and then spent a year away from the grid before returning in 2026 with Cadillac.
Different badges now, same energy.
Even at the season-opener in Australia, they were already leaning into each other again: Perez muscled Lawson wide at Turn 3, there was contact, and Lawson later forced his way back through at Turn 11. Lawson’s assessment at the time was loaded with history. “Two years later he’s not over it!” he said. “He’s fighting me like it’s for the world championship and we are like P16… It was nothing illegal, it was just aggressive.”
Montreal’s Sprint took the dynamic from “hard racing” into “stewards’ inbox” territory.
Lawson went for Perez down the straight towards Turn 11, and ended up on the grass after Perez’s movement. Perez took the flag 11th, a second up the road from Lawson, but the result didn’t stand for long. The stewards ruled Perez had forced Lawson off the track and applied the baseline 10-second penalty, dropping the Cadillac driver to 14th and promoting Lawson to 11th.
Their written verdict was clear in its description: “Car 30 was attempting to overtake Car 11 on the straight before Turn 13. Car 11 moved to the right of the track, then moved back to the left, forcing Car 30 off the track. Accordingly the base line penalty of 10 seconds is applied.”
Perez didn’t offer public comment in his media briefing, but the radio captured his immediate disbelief. “What was he trying to do?” he asked his engineer — a question that neatly sums up how both men tend to view these incidents: the other guy is always the one inventing the problem.
There’s a broader point here, too. Sprint racing is sold as a place for drivers to be more daring, more direct, more opportunistic — but when you’re battling at the edge of the points, the calculus changes. A tiny misjudgement can punch a hole in your weekend, and neither Cadillac nor Racing Bulls is in a position to be throwing away sessions on bruised floors, damaged tyres, or penalties that reshape track position before Sunday even starts.
Lawson’s “not worth it” line was telling. It wasn’t just frustration at being shoved aside; it was the sound of a driver deciding the smarter play is to live to fight another lap — just not with Perez, not when the outcome is likely to be another adjudication and another round of post-session quote-trading.
At least they’ll begin Sunday separated. Lawson lines up 12th for the grand prix, with Perez down in 20th. In theory, that should keep them apart. In practice, their recent history suggests separation rarely lasts once the race starts to move around them.
Because with these two, it’s never just an overtake. It’s always a message.
