What Fernando Alonso did to Liam Lawson in parc ferme after angry US Grand Prix radio

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Liam Lawson has managed to rile Fernando Alonso in his first Formula 1 race since replacing Daniel Ricciardo at RB. The pair battled on track during the Sprint at the US Grand Prix.

With just five race starts to his name, Lawson is the second-least experienced driver on the grid (only Franco Colapinto has fewer with three). At the other end of the scale, Alonso will reach an unprecedented 400 starts in Qatar at the start of December.

Lawson was just four years old when Alonso won the second of his consecutive titles in 2006. In that sense, it will be surreal for the New Zealander to take him on.

But he certainly wasn’t overawed by the 32-time Grand Prix winner, having started just one place behind him on Saturday. Replays showed their intense battle through the slow-speed corners at the start of sector three.

Alonso found himself boxed in behind Lawson, allowing Alpine’s Esteban Ocon to pass them both. The RB driver eventually finished 16th, and his Aston Martin counterpart 18th.

Lawson knows he has just six races (and three Sprints) to audition for a Red Bull seat. He must beat Yuki Tsunoda and hope Sergio Perez continues to struggle.

Fernando Alonso confronts Liam Lawson after US Grand Prix battle

A series of images taken after the Sprint appear to show a frustrated Alonso confronting Lawson in parc ferme. It’s impossible to know for sure what was said in the seemingly heated discussion, but Alonso had made his feelings clear on the radio.

He referred to Lawson as an ‘idiot’ for how he conducted himself in their scrap. He may have been suggesting that his tactics were mutually destructive in that they opened the door for Ocon.

In another photo, Lawson can be seen shrugging his shoulders. He didn’t look like a driver cowed by Alonso’s legendary status.

With 86 points, Aston Martin won’t be caught by RB (34) before Abu Dhabi. But five teams are battling for the final two points places, so Alonso and Lawson will likely meet again in the coming events.

The unusual thing Liam Lawson did in the RB garage at US Grand Prix

Lawson won’t be pleased with his performance in the Sprint. Red Bull’s expectations will be limited because he only had an hour of practice, but equally, he knows he only has limited time to make his case.

After qualifying 15th on Friday, Lawson apologised to RB over the radio. Teammate Tsunoda displayed the potential of the car by reaching SQ3.

Lawson returned to the sidelines at last year’s US Grand Prix when Ricciardo’s broken hand had healed. A year on, he’s back in the cockpit as a fully-fledged driver rather than a stand-in.

He was understandably excited before Friday’s running. Team principal Laurent Mekies noticed that Lawson climbed into his car 20 minutes before FP1, which showed how eager he was to get back on track.