Liam Lawson’s journey to securing a Red Bull seat has been anything but conventional, with the young New Zealander seizing every opportunity that came his way.
Liam Lawson’s rapid rise to a Red Bull seat comes after making just 11 Formula 1 starts for the Racing Bulls across the 2023 and 2024 seasons.
The New Zealander made his unexpected F1 debut in 2023 after Daniel Ricciardo suffered a broken hand during practice at the Dutch Grand Prix. Lawson stepped in for five races and achieved the team’s best result of the season at that point, securing ninth place in Singapore. Despite his strong performances, Lawson was overlooked for a full-time seat in 2024, with the team opting to retain Ricciardo alongside Yuki Tsunoda.
Ricciardo departed and Lawson got promoted
One year later, Ricciardo was dropped from the team, and Lawson took his place for the final six races of the season before earning a promotion to Red Bull’s senior squad for 2025.
Speaking to GQ Australia, Lawson revealed that he had frequent conversations with Ricciardo around the time he took over from the eight-time Grand Prix winner following the Singapore Grand Prix.
He also shared that Ricciardo was the only driver who personally reached out to congratulate him after securing a seat at Red Bull Racing for 2025. He said, according to PlanetF1:
“I actually spoke to Daniel a lot when it was happening. I will always have so much respect for him.
“Throughout the whole ordeal, from when the rumours started to when they were confirmed, he never said a bad word about or towards me.
“He never made it about me and him, because at the end of the day it wasn’t our decision.
“It’s up to the team and what they decide to do. He was so good to me through all of it.
“Fast forward to December, when I got the Red Bull seat, and Daniel is still the only driver, past or present, to send me a message about it, congratulating me.
“It says a lot about him as a person.”
A torturous wait on the sidelines for Lawson
Lawson admitted that watching from the sidelines at the start of the 2024 season was a “brutal” experience as he waited for an opportunity to return to a race seat. However, he insisted that he never wished for Ricciardo’s downfall.
He said:
“The possibility of anything in this sport slips away all the time.
“Last year was an emotional rollercoaster. You obviously never wish for somebody’s downfall, but I knew that the only way I was going to get a seat was to replace somebody, so watching the season was brutal.
“There would be races where a seat seemed closer and then it would go away again, just like that.
“In the meantime, Red Bull was testing me and I was trying to nail every single opportunity that they gave me.
“It wasn’t an enjoyable experience.”
Ricciardo chose silence to reflect
Lawson’s comments come shortly after Ricciardo ended his extended silence on social media with his first post of 2025. In a short clip promoting a new business venture, Ricciardo made subtle references to the end of his F1 career, stating at one point:
“I’ve taken my foot off the gas a bit lately.”
Since his departure from Racing Bulls in September 2024, Ricciardo has made limited public statements beyond a brief social media post acknowledging his exit.
With Lawson now confirmed as a Red Bull Racing driver for 2025, his journey in F1 is only just beginning. Meanwhile, Ricciardo’s future remains uncertain as he embarks on new ventures beyond the sport.
Feature Image Credit: Red Bull Racing
