Rivals and sometimes team-mates as Red Bull juniors, Liam
Lawson has revealed Yuki Tsunoda used to try to intimidate him on the track
only to get found out in Macau when he got too close.
Although both Lawson and Tsunoda came through Red Bull’s
junior ranks and were in Formula 3 together in 2019, it has taken the New
Zealander a bit longer to reach Formula 1.
Liam Lawson: I remember thinking ‘I know exactly what you
did’
While his path included two years in Formula 3 before
stepping up to F2, and then some times on the F1 sidelines while also
contesting Japan’s Super Formula, Tsunoda spent one year in F3, moved onto F2,
and then joined the Formula 1 grid in 2021.
Today they were team-mates at Red Bull’s junior
team VCARB, both with
the aspirations of stepping up to the senior team. But while Lawson is said to
be in contention, PlanetF1.com understands that Tsunoda is not in the running
despite his upcoming post-season run in the RB20.
Having been rivals in the junior series they know each
others tricks, including one that Lawson revealed to the Red Flag podcast that
Tsunoda used to pull in an attempt to intimidate him on the track.
“Yuki used to do this thing, the first year that we were
team-mates was 2019,” Lawson explained. “In FIA F3 we weren’t team-mates, [but]
we did Euroformula Open at the same time, and we were team-mates in that. I got
to know him pretty well.
“All year, in a practice session or a qualifying session,
whenever I was on a cool-down lap, Yuki would come past me, he would always
insist on just getting as close to me as possible.
“I don’t know if he was trying to scare me or what. He
did this all year.”
And then the tactic caught him out at the 2019 Macau
Grand Prix.
Racing for MP Motorsport and Hitech Grand Prix respectively, Lawson revealed how Tsunoda pulled the same stunt on at the hallowed street race but came up short.
