Red Bull shares behind-the-scenes heartwarming footage of Liam Lawson's dad giving his son a 3-word message before the race

Red Bull Racing has shared heartwarming footage of Liam Lawson’s dad, Jared, giving him a three-word message ahead of the 2025 Australian Grand Prix. The 23-year-old made his debut for the Milton Keynes outfit at the Albert Park race.

The New Zealand driver, who was signed as a replacement for Sergio Perez, teams up with four-time world champion Max Verstappen as Red Bull Racing hopes to return to the impressive form it showed throughout 2023.

However, while Lawson’s debut with the Austrian team did not pan out as he envisaged—crashing during the race—Red Bull took the time to share footage of a special moment he shared with his father ahead of the event down under.

Taking to Instagram, the Milton Keynes-based team shared footage of Liam Lawson alongside his father, with Jared offering him a three-word message prior to the race.

“Yep, go hard,” were the words of the visibly elated father, who appeared proud to see his son debut with Red Bull.

Reflecting on the moment, Lawson Sr. detailed how, during his son’s early years in karting, they often exchanged fist bumps prior to the start of races. However, since his venture into F1, he hasn’t had the opportunity to do so.

“We always used the fist bump when he karted; we would always fist bump each other. I don’t often get the opportunity to do that now, so that is pretty special.”

Liam Lawson, who witnessed his Australian Grand Prix weekend end abruptly with a crash on lap 47 of the race, will now head into the upcoming Chinese GP with hopes of redemption as well as scoring his first points of the season for his new team.

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Liam Lawson hits back at Zak Brown of Red Bull seat claim

Liam Lawson recently responded to Zak Brown’s claim regarding his merit for the Red Bull seat. The McLaren CEO had detailed that the young New Zealand driver was less deserving of the second seat at the Austrian outfit and insisted that Yuki Tsunoda should have been promoted instead.

Brown also stressed that he feels Red Bull has continued to make what he considers some strange driver choices in recent times.

Speaking to Sky Sports F1 after the Australian Grand Prix, the McLaren team chief stated:

“Yuki did a great job, probably the guy who should be in the Red Bull if you look at how he’s performed, but they seem to make some strange driver choices from time to time.”

Lawson, who was quizzed about these remarks during his interaction with the media ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix, responded:

“I couldn’t care less what Zak says,” he stated.

“I haven’t spoken to him, I don’t really think ever, and I haven’t read any social media for the last two weeks.”

Liam Lawson’s response subtly adds fuel to the growing rift and rivalry between Red Bull and McLaren. In recent times, both teams have engaged in a war of words, and it appears this rift may well linger beyond the Grand Prix at the Shanghai International Circuit.