Liam Lawson “not here to make friends” after Sergio Perez, Fernando Alonso spats

Liam Lawson says he’s “not here to make friends” after spats with Sergio Perez and Fernando Alonso in recent F1 rounds.

Alonso voiced his frustration towards Lawson over team radio in the Austin sprint race, with the two-time world champion unhappy with the RB driver’s aggressive defending.

The pair were then seen having intense talks in parc ferme after the race.

It was a similar story in Mexico City following a tight battle between Perez and Lawson.

Lawson showed the middle finger to Perez later in the race after minor contact.

Speaking to Sky Sports ahead of this weekend’s Sao Paulo Grand Prix, Lawson explained his recent confrontations.

“Obviously, my goal is not to go out and make enemies of anybody, I'm not trying to cause any issues or anything like that," he said.

“But at the same time, I'm not here to make friends, I'm here to win, and that's what I'm focused on doing.

“And in this situation, we're fighting very hard for P6 in the Constructors', and I'm fighting obviously for my future in Formula 1 as well, so that's what I'm focused on.”

Reflecting on the Perez battle, Lawson revealed he apologised to the Mexican after the race, but insisted it was a racing incident.

“Yeah, briefly we spoke after the race but at the same time, we left the track very early, immediately afterwards anyway,” Lawson added.

“It was an on-track fight, and I apologised, obviously, for what I did after the incident. But in terms of the fight we had on track, I guess [it's] seen as a racing incident and something that was an in-the-moment battle.”

Lawson will be hoping to impress in the final four rounds of the season as he looks to secure a Red Bull drive for 2025.

The Kiwi is thought to be the front-runner to replace Perez if Red Bull finally decide to make a change.