Max Verstappen has offered a cutting appraisal of his clash with Liam Lawson during FP2 at the Mexico City Grand Prix.
Verstappen said it was "not very smart behaviour" for Lawson to "pick a fight" with him, given the precarious position the New Zealander finds himself in at Racing Bulls.
Despite enjoying a terrific season, the 24-year-old is in danger of losing his seat to Red Bull junior and F2 driver Nikola Tsolov.
A popular position within the F1 paddock is that Lawson has done more than enough to secure his future, but he could still find himself on the outside looking in, even though he is ninth in the drivers' standings as best of the rest and has carried the Faenza-based squad to the brink of fifth place in the constructors' championship.
Reflecting on the incident with Lawson, which has seen both called before the stewards, Verstappen issued a blunt account of the Racing Bulls driver's uncertain position.
"I was on a fast out lap because I had some little issues, so I was pushing on quite a bit," the four-time F1 drivers' champion said. "He was driving really slowly, so I was like, 'All right, let's go for it.'
"But as soon as he saw me arrive, he started to speed up... I don't know what was going through his head when that happened, trying to just run me off the track.
"For me, it's just not very smart behaviour when you're in his position to pick a fight with me."
Early in the second free practice session, the pair raced wheel-to-wheel through the tight, twisty and technical stadium complex at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodríguez when contact was made, damaging both cars.
The debris, which was strewn over the track, triggered a red flag stoppage. When the session resumed, Verstappen went on to go fifth fastest, with Lawson in ninth.
Asked whether the damage to his RB22 cost him during the remainder of the hour, the Dutchman continued his frank assessment of the situation.
"The bargeboard... was broken up," Verstappen added. "So of course you lose downforce for that."
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