Annoyed Liam Lawson hits back, tells Carlos Sainz what he did wrong

Liam Lawson insists he did nothing wrong in his Dutch Grand Prix collision with Carlos Sainz, urging the Williams Formula 1 driver to speak to him privately rather than criticise him in public.

Racing Bull’s Lawson came to blows with Sainz as they battled for position at the safety car restart on lap 26, with the contact leaving both cars with punctures.

The stewards put the responsibility on Sainz for causing the collision, handing him a 10-second time penalty that wiped out any chance of a comeback drive into the points.

But the Spaniard was fuming with the outcome of the investigation, saying the Zandvoort stewards were not up to the level of F1, and he would seek an explanation from them.

Sainz was also critical of Lawson’s driving, saying he always “prefers to have a bit of contact and risk a DNF” and follows an 'crash or no overtake’.

Liam Lawson hits back at Carlos Sainz

However, Lawson has denied any claims that he is aggressive on track, insisting he was simply following rules by the book.

“Obviously, I'm not stoked either. It ruined my day,” Lawson told the media, including Crash.net.

“The rules are written as they are, and we know how they're written. I've been on the receiving end [of penalties] this year as well, where I was going for an overtake and thought that I should be given space; I wasn't and I got a penalty. 

“So it's something that we learn from. We know we all know this.

“It's lap one on a restart. It's super slippery, cold tyres, and it's fine to go for the move, but it's just risky and we make contact, which is not ideal, but that's why he got a penalty.”

Lawson suggested Sainz clear the air with him instead of venting his frustration in public.

“He was overtaking me today and he got a penalty today. So he can make all the comments in the world he likes,” said the Kiwi.

“I wish he'd just come and talk to me about it rather than telling everybody else. If it was my fault, I would have got a penalty. 

“I understand his frustration. We don't want to be in these situations. As I said, I've been on the receiving end as well. It's just the way the rules are written, and we all know that.”

Lawson was classified outside the points in 12th, having run as high as sixth before his collision with Sainz.

His teammate Isack Hadjar secured his maiden podium in third place.