“I will always have so much respect for him": Liam Lawson shares admiration for Daniel Ricciardo as he prepares for life as Max Verstappen's teammate

Liam Lawson revealed that Daniel Ricciardo was one of the only drivers on the grid to personally congratulate him on securing the Red Bull seat for the 2025 season. Speaking to GQ Australia, the New Zealander expressed his admiration for the eight-time Grand Prix winner, highlighting Ricciardo’s support throughout the recruitment saga.

Despite the awkward situation surrounding Lawson’s entry into the VCARB seat following Ricciardo’s departure after the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix, there was no animosity between the two. Red Bull’s handling of the transition—dropping Ricciardo in favor of the Kiwi—was met with criticism from both insiders and fans, making the situation challenging for both drivers.

Lawson, who was promoted to Red Bull Racing over the winter, shared that Ricciardo was the only driver to reach out and congratulate him. He respected the Australian’s sportsmanship and appreciated the gesture, noting that they had interacted frequently during the process. The 23-year-old emphasized that Ricciardo harbored no ill feeling towards him, despite the circumstances of his exit from the team.

Speaking to GQ Australia in an interview, Liam Lawson said:

“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.”

He added:

“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.”

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Liam Lawson claims online chatter does not affect him after getting a Red Bull drive

Liam Lawson revealed that he had disconnected from social media by the time he was promoted to Red Bull for the 2025 season. Speaking to GQ Australia, the New Zealander admitted that he had deleted most of his social media accounts in 2024, which meant he missed much of the online chatter about his seat.

Lawson acknowledged that he received unprecedented levels of online hate and abuse after replacing both Daniel Ricciardo at VCARB and later Sergio Perez at Red Bull. The backlash from fans was intense, with strong opinions being voiced across platforms.

Reflecting on the shifting landscape of F1 fandom, Lawson noted how fans have become increasingly vocal in recent years. While he understands the passion behind their reactions, he has consciously tried not to let it affect him or engage with it too much. By stepping away from social media, he aimed to focus solely on his performance and avoid the external noise.

Commenting on the online reactions on social media upon being promoted to Red Bull, Liam Lawson said in the aforementioned interview:

“I learned pretty quickly to not look into it. Fortunately, by the time the Red Bull stuff happened, I was already offline. I didn’t have Instagram for a lot of last year. I deleted most of my socials off of my phone. So I think I missed a lot of the discourse about the seat, honestly. I’m aware, of course, of how F1 fans are, especially now. Compared with how it used to be, it’s a lot more vocal. If you’re a fan of a driver, then you’re going to back them. I get it.”

Liam Lawson has only 11 Formula 1 races under his belt, but his performance in testing has already turned heads. As shown on Drive to Survive, his Silverstone test in the Red Bull RB20 saw him lap less than two-tenths slower than Max Verstappen—despite not having driven an F1 car for seven months.

Now set to embark on his first full F1 season, Lawson is prepared for the challenge of going up against the four-time world champion as his teammate. While stepping into Red Bull alongside Verstappen is no easy task, the New Zealander has shown confidence in his ability to deliver strong performances under pressure.