F1 fans go wild for Kiwi star Liam Lawson’s shocking 300kmh act as he passes rival Sergio Perez at the Mexican Grand Prix

Formula 1 fans have reacted with delight and dismay after Liam Lawson appeared to give his rival Serio Perez the middle finger as he passed him during an incident-packed Mexican Grand Prix on Sunday.

The shocking moment came amid speculation that Lawson could be in line to take over Perez’s seat at Red Bull next year, after the Mexican had another highly disappointing race to finish 17th, one place behind New Zealander.

Lawson appeared to make the rude gesture when he overtook him on the main straight of the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez circuit late in the race.

He had beaten the Mexican all weekend at his home track, outpaced him in practice on Saturday and beat him in qualifying to start 12th on the grid, compared to Perez’s 18th.

Lawson also left Perez’s car damaged when the two collided while battling for 10th place during the race, with the Red Bull star later saying his rival ‘took the whole side of the car off’ .

A clip of Lawson’s fiery act went viral on social media, dividing fans. Some enjoyed the conflict, while others branded the Kiwi as unprofessional and childish.

‘Liam was at fault for the incident, he wants the RB [Red Bull] chair so bad he gave Checo [Perez] no space. This is not the way to get that seat, he should show Checo more respect for being a kid,” one fan wrote.

“That’s absolutely pathetic,” another added.

The fiery moment on the straight in the late stages of Sunday’s race (pictured) left F1 fans divided on social media

There is speculation that Lawson (left) could be locked in a battle with Perez (centre) for the Red Bull seat behind Max Verstappen next year

“I think Liam needs bodyguards to leave the track,” a third joked.

Other commentators felt that the clash is something F1 needs more of.

“I just want to let Checo know this is his seat next year,” someone said.

Others wrote, “I love it!”, “We have our sport back,” “Lawson is easily one of my new favorites,” and “This is seriously awesome.”

After the race, Perez expressed his anger over the incident that damaged his car.

“I was ahead at turn five, he was off track when he came back, I didn’t expect him to just go straight,” said the Red Bull star.

‘He took the whole side of the car off, but I don’t think it’s his fault because he doesn’t get any punishment.

‘He did the same to Fernando [Alonso] Last weekend he did the same to Franco [Colapinto] at the end of the race and no penalty.

“I just told him I think we blew both our races.”

Lawson moved up to fourth place at one point in the Grand Prix, but his collision with Colapinto meant he had to take an unscheduled pit stop and finished 16th.

The 22-year-old took over from Aussie Daniel Ricciardo at the RB Honda team at the end of September, in a notable move.

Some fans condemned Lawson for his behavior, citing a previous clash between him and Perez at the Grand Prix

Others praised the 22-year-old Kiwi for bringing some drama to the race, joking that he needed help leaving the track after taking out Perez at his home GP.

The 35-year-old Australian has been racing in F1 since 2011 and has topped the podium at eight Grand Prix during a fine career. However, he has only finished in the top 10 in three of his 18 races this year.

The Kiwi driver replaced Ricciardo for five races during the 2023 season after the Australian broke his wrist in a crash at the Dutch Grand Prix.

Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz took the checkered flag in Mexico City after an incident-filled race that shook up the standings in both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ World Championships.

McLaren’s Lando Norris closed the gap on Max Verstappen by finishing second, while the Dutchman finished sixth after receiving two 10-second penalties for his driving in turns four and eight.

That brings the defending champions’ lead back to 47 points, with 120 still available on Sunday heading to Sao Paulo, Brazil, with three rounds remaining.

Charles Leclerc took the remaining podium spot for the Prancing Horse team, who now sit on 537 points in the constructors’ standings, after surpassing Red Bull on 512 and overtaking leader McLaren on 566.