Liam Lawson’s rise to Red Bull
Perhaps his ‘90s boy band angelic look helped land Liam Lawson on the cover of the Australian edition of GQ magazine. However, the young Kiwi isn’t in F1 for magazine covers or to make friends. Yuki Tsunoda knows this well, given the tensions between them in 2023 when Lawson unexpectedly replaced the injured Daniel Ricciardo. And Sergio Perez knows it even better, as the 23-year-old took his Red Bull seat after making a statement by aggressively challenging him on track in front of his home crowd in Mexico.
So, it’s hardly surprising that Lawson hasn’t made many friends during his rapid climb to Formula 1’s top ranks, especially within the Red Bull family itself. As he now faces the daunting challenge of going up against a giant like Max Verstappen, the New Zealander admitted that not a single teammate reached out to congratulate him on his promotion—except for one.
Lawson praises Daniel Ricciardo
In his interview with GQ Australia, Lawson revealed the name of the only Red Bull-affiliated driver who contacted him after the news of his takeover from Checo Perez: “I spoke at length with Daniel Ricciardo when everything was about to happen (his replacement at Racing Bulls after the Singapore GP), and I will always have immense respect for him. Throughout that ordeal, from the first rumors circulating in the paddock to the official confirmation, he never said a single bad word about me.”
“It was never something personal between me and Daniel Ricciardo,” Liam Lawson added. “At the end of the day, the decision wasn’t in our hands. It was up to the team to decide what to do. And through it all, Daniel was always kind to me. In fact, fast-forward to December, when I finally got the Red Bull seat, Daniel was the only driver—past or present—who sent me a message about it, congratulating me. That says a lot about the kind of person he is.” – he concluded.
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