Liam Lawson Shares Heartwarming Moment Of Telling His Father About Red Bull Promotion

Saajan Jogia | 21 Hours Ago

ZANDVOORT, NETHERLANDS - AUGUST 23: Liam Lawson of New Zealand and Visa Cash App RB looks on in the garage during practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Netherlands at Circuit Zandvoort on August 23, 2024 in Zandvoort, Netherlands. (Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images) /

Liam Lawson has revealed the heartwarming moment when he shared the news of his Red Bull promotion with his father. The Kiwi driver, recently announced as Sergio Perez's replacement alongside Max Verstappen, shared how his father played a crucial role in motivating him throughout his journey. Reflecting on the financial challenges of motorsport, Lawson expressed gratitude for his family's sacrifices to support his racing career, saying, "They've given a lot for me."

Being on the sidelines as a Red Bull reserve driver, the 22-year-old made his Formula 1 debut last season for Daniel Ricciardo at VCARB, when he underwent treatment for a wrist injury. Lawson immediately got up to speed and impressed the paddock with his stellar performances. This season, Ricciardo's inconsistent performances prompted Red Bull to replace him with Lawson, who was appointed to the junior Formula 1 team VCARB, alongside Yuki Tsunoda.

Both drivers were under evaluation for a potential promotion to Red Bull, as Perez's underperformance had become a growing concern for the team. Following a meeting with Red Bull's leadership and shareholders, the decision was made to part ways with Perez and promote Lawson, who stood out over Tsunoda for his ability to perform consistently under pressure. The news of his promotion was a dream come true for Lawson, who chose to share it first with his father. Describing the emotional moment during a FaceTime call, he revealed how the announcement brought his father to tears. He said on the Talking Bull podcast:

“I called my dad.

“Obviously, he’s been a massive influence on me as a person growing up and he was very emotional. I’ve never actually really seen him like that, which is quite cool.

“He’s been with me since day one, literally, and he’s been a big part of the mentality I’ve had growing up and coming into racing and being a racing driver.

“He’s a big person who influenced me as as a kid. Not that he raced, but just letting me believe as a kid that I could do anything if I believed in it enough and I worked hard enough for it.

“I’ve carried that forward all the way through.

“I FaceTimed him and I said to him, I was like: ‘Dad, just looking at planning my January calendar at the moment and going to head back to Europe around mid-January, towards the end of January.’

“Normally we have a test with VCARB at Imola. That was the same last year and that was planned this year as well.

“And I said to him: ‘I’m actually not going to be testing in Imola right now. I’m going to be testing in Silverstone now.’

“His reaction was like: ‘What are you saying?’

“So I said: ‘I got the seat, basically.’

“It was real funny, because he sat on it for probably two minutes and I could see he just couldn’t really believe it. Same for me.

“And then probably after a delay of two minutes he then started reacting and he got emotional about it.

“It was very cool. He went and got my mum, who was in a different room, and basically told the family.

“They’ve given a lot for me. Especially when I was younger, a lot.

“All my siblings and my parents have given up a lot for me to be able to do this.”