Why Alonso was so upset by Lawson’s driving

Fernando Alonso was so infuriated by Liam Lawson’s driving in yesterday’s sprint race he promised to give the RB driver payback in the qualifying session later the same day.

Lawson pointed out the two-times world champion did exactly that as soon as the qualifying session began.

Alonso’s aggravation began when Lawson cheekily passed him on the first lap of the race. The RB driver started one place behind the Aston Martin and got onto his tail when Alonso went off at turn four on the first lap, a snap of oversteer putting him wide as Oscar Piastri overtook him.

Lawson forced Alonso to compromise his line into turn nine, then pounced on the Aston Martin on the inside at turn 11. It was a strong move, Lawson forcing Alonso onto the run-off at the exit of the corner.

As they accelerated down the back straight, Lawson fought hard to defend his newly-gained place, reacting to Alonso’s bid to claim the inside line for turn 12, covering him off on the straight. They entered the corner side-by-side, Lawson used the full width of the track at the exit, forcing Alonso to back off again. Alonso continued his attacks through the following sequence of slow bends but Lawson positioned his car carefully, covering the inside line at turn 15.

The pair spent the following laps stuck in a ‘DRS train’ behind Piastri. But on lap five Lawson locked his front-left tyre at turn one and Alonso was back on him. As they approached turn 11 Lawson’s race engineer Pierre Hamelin told him: “Battery is good, you can press and hold overtake when you want to have a go.” But he was now focused on Alonso behind rather than Pierre Gasly ahead of him.

Alonso feinted towards the inside at turn 11 but Lawson covered him. At turn 12 Lawson repeated his line from the first lap, but ran slightly wider, exceeding the track limits. Alonso prowled on his outside at turn 13, again at 14, but Lawson was all over the inside at 15 again. Finally the RB driver closed the door on his attacker at the exit of the high-speed turn 18 right-hander, obliging Alonso to lift as he did.

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However that exchange left Lawson more than a second off Gasly, and no longer able to use his DRS. Alonso closed back in for another attack and this time succeeded in claiming the inside line at turn 12. Lawson retaliated at the exit, however, and again demonstrated precise and uncompromising racecraft, leaving Alonso a car’s width and no more at the inside…