Liam Lawson's tactics in battling Yuki Tsunoda at the Italian GP have been defended after contact between the two.
With both drivers out of the points, Lawson moved to the outside of the Turn 4 braking zone for the left-right second chicane, but did not draw alongside Tsunoda to be granted protection under F1's overtaking guidelines.
As Tsunoda moved across to take his normal racing line into the corner, the two former team-mates collided, with both taking to the run-off to complete miserable afternoons all round.
Afterwards, Lawson drew some criticism for being over-aggressive in the incident, but former F1 driver Perry McCarthy has strongly defended the New Zealander.
"Liam was quite right to be on the outside, because if you can make Yuki break too late on the inside, Yuki can't make the corner," McCarthy told RacingNews365.
"That's what I think pundits were missing on TV, so I'm in favour of what Lawson was trying to do and put Yuki off, he just did not leave enough room for it.
"He's trying to get past. This is the Red Bull junior team versus the Red Bull senior team, and you've got a job to do out there, you've got to hound somebody and pressure them.
"Yuki is on the inside, and he came across because he wants the better turn-in angle, and with Liam placing his car there, if Yuki hadn't come across, then he'd have to brake and turn in at a more acute angle, and that will lead to a mistake.
"So I'm totally in favour in Liam's tactics."
Also interesting:
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