Nico Hülkenberg was not pleased with his duel with Liam Lawson during the Italian Grand Prix. The Audi driver accuses the New Zealander of systematically pushing his opponents outward.
Liam Lawson drew criticism from Nico Hülkenberg after their heated battle at Monza. The two drivers clashed shortly after the restart of the Italian Grand Prix, and their duel left marks, both on the New Zealander’s Red Bull and in the mind of the Audi driver.
Hülkenberg notably reproaches Lawson for a tendency he now considers his “trademark”: systematically tightening his line when an opponent comes alongside and leaving very little space.
While the German insists he harbors no grudge against his rival, he believes the stewards could have been harsher after their incident.
A duel that costs Lawson dearly
The incident occurred at turn 4 after the race resumed.
Hülkenberg was forced off the track while battling Lawson. The contact also damaged the front wing of the Red Bull, forcing the New Zealander to pit for repairs.
A stop that cost him about 30 seconds and practically destroyed his chances of scoring points.
The stewards reviewed the incident during the race. Lawson ultimately received a black and white flag, a warning, but no further penalty was imposed.
The Red Bull driver eventually crossed the finish line in 14th place, two positions behind Hülkenberg, who finished 12th.
“He just likes to push others outward”
After the race, Hülkenberg did not hide his annoyance regarding how Lawson defends his positions.
“Liam? Yes, he just likes to push others outward,” said the Audi driver.
For the German, this is not an isolated behavior observed only at Monza.
“He always likes to do this when someone comes alongside. He never really wants to leave the width of a car.”
Hülkenberg goes even further by considering this defensive style as a now well-known characteristic of Lawson’s driving.
“It’s his trademark.”
A fairly direct criticism, even though the Audi driver immediately clarifies that he does not take it personally.
“There is no grudge. It’s just a bit tricky.”
Hülkenberg would have liked a harsher penalty
The main point of disagreement ultimately concerns the stewards’ decision.
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Although Lawson did receive a warning, Hülkenberg believes the situation potentially deserved more given the discussions that took place between drivers and the FIA before the race.
The German wants to review external footage before making a final judgment.
“I need to see the scene from the outside again, but during the briefing, we said that this kind of situation should be taken seriously.”
For Hülkenberg, the speed at which the incident occurred is a crucial factor.
“Especially at those speeds, from the car, the situation seemed quite borderline at the time.”
The Audi driver therefore considers that this type of defense can quickly become dangerous when two cars are side by side at very high speed.
A compromised race for Lawson
Lawson had already approached the Italian Grand Prix in a difficult situation.
The New Zealander, who was once again replacing Isack Hadjar at Red Bull, had accepted a grid penalty to add new elements to the French driver’s engine component reserve.
He then started from the pit lane after modifications were made to his car under parc fermé conditions.
Under these circumstances, climbing back into the points was already a serious challenge. The clash with Hülkenberg and the front wing change practically ended his hopes.
Lawson never managed to recover the roughly 30 seconds lost during his pit stop and had to settle for 14th place.
A warning before Madrid
The incident comes as Lawson will get another chance behind the wheel of the Red Bull.
The team confirmed that Isack Hadjar would still not be sufficiently recovered from his wrist fracture to participate in the next Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid. Lawson will therefore remain alongside Max Verstappen for a third consecutive race.
The New Zealander will seek to regain the momentum from Zandvoort, where he finished seventh, rather than that of a much more complicated Italian weekend.
But Hülkenberg’s criticisms add a new element to watch. For the Audi driver, Lawson’s very aggressive defense is no longer a one-off event but a real habit. And even though he insists he holds no grudge against his rival, the German believes the FIA should take this type of maneuver particularly seriously.
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