Liam Lawson voices surprise over Max Verstappen decision

Liam Lawson has admitted he was surprised to be asked to hand his position back to Max Verstappen during the Miami Grand Prix.

Verstappen started the race from the front row but was shuffled down the order after a spin at the second corner.

As he attempted to recover lost ground, Verstappen went wheel-to-wheel with Lawson at Turn 11, with both drivers running off the track.

Lawson remained ahead of his former Red Bull team-mate but soon moved aside after being instructed to do so by his team.

The New Zealander has admitted his surprise at the call, believing he was not at risk of receiving a penalty for gaining an advantage.

“I didn’t think I had to give the place back, but apparently I did,” Lawson told media including RacingNews365.

“It’s close racing, but I wasn't really going to be fighting today anyway.”

Soon after, Lawson's race came to an end after he suffered a gearbox failure, which pitched him into Pierre Gasly.

However, the 24-year-old acknowledged he was likely in for a difficult grand prix before his terminal problem arose.

“At that point I didn't know, but I think a couple of laps after that I realised we had not a very good balance,” he said.

“So it would have been hard to stay in the top 10, but I think we could have done that today, and scored at least a couple of points.”