Watch: Liam Lawson handing the trophy to Red Bull's upcoming teenage sensation Arvid Lindblad

F1 driver Liam Lawson was seen awarding Red Bull Junior driver Arvid Lindblad his P3 trophy after the second race at the Formula Regional Oceania Championship in Taupo, NZ earlier this week. Lawson, from New Zealand himself, gave the 17-year-old driver the trophy just as he clinched the podium after qualifying for the race in fourth place.

The video was shared to RBJTUpdates, an X (formerly known as Twitter) account that shares updates on Red Bull junior drivers who race in the lower rungs of the Formula championship, such as F2, F3, F4 and others, including the Formula Regional Oceania, which just completed the first of five rounds in the championship. Races 1 and 2 both saw Lindblad take third place, with Lawson handing him the trophy on the podium:

According to Red Bull advisor, Helmut Marko, Arvid Lindblad is the Red Bull Junior Team's greatest talent. Lindblad will be making his F2 debut this year, racing alongisde Pepe Marti for Campos Racing. He will be taking the place of Isack Hadjar, who is moving to F1 to take Liam Lawson's spot at the Racing Bulls (formerly VCARB).

Like Lindblad, Lawson has also been a Red Bull Junior Driver, being a part of the programme since 2019. He has since raced in F2 and F3, scoring a total of eight wins across the two junior formula competitions. Most recently, he had 11 starts in Formula 1, driving for Visa Cash App RB, scoring a total of six points over two seasons with the team.

2025 will see Lawson join four-time drivers' champion Max Verstappen at Red Bull Racing when the season begins in Melbourne, Australia in March of this year.

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Liam Lawson reveals Helmut Marko's calls during his time as a junior driver helped him prepare for F1

Peter Bayer, CEO of Visa Cash App RB, Dr Helmut Marko and Liam Lawson talk in the Paddock prior to the F1 Grand Prix of Australia - Source: Getty

The 22-year-old driver recently revealed that he would receive calls during his years in the junior team from Helmut Marko that helped him prepare for driving alongside Max Verstappen. The calls from Marko, who is a Red Bull advisor and oversees the Junior Driver programme, would put more pressure on Lawson, which the Kiwi believes has been beneficial.

Lawson, in an interview with The Times, explained how this has helped him prepare for racing with a four-time world champion in a top team, saying (via PlanetF1):

“Probably the best thing for me was the last five years being a Red Bull Junior, the phone calls from Helmut at 7am, putting the pressure on. The threat of losing your career at 16, if you don’t perform in this next race — that’s really helped build me for Formula 1, because going into Red Bull against Max, there’s a load of pressure.”

Liam Lawson completed his 2024 F1 season with two points finishes, at the US Grand Prix and at the Brazil Grand Prix thanks to his P9 finishes at both tracks.