Max Verstappen’s Red Bull teammate does NASCAR sim racing, says he’d “love to race in America”

Max Verstappen's new Red Bull Racing F1 teammate, Liam Lawson, has said he would consider adding NASCAR to his racing portfolio. After posting impressive lap times on the simulator, Lawson told Noah Gragson he would "love to race in America".

For context, Lawson visited the Ford Performance Technical Center in Concord, North Carolina as part of RBR's 2026 technical partnership with the Blue Oval brand. Gragson, driver of the No. 4 Ford Mustang for Front Row Motorsports, toured him around the facility and the sim.

Gragson bet Lawson $20 to complete a lap in two minutes and 20 seconds driving a stock car simulator at the Circuit of the Americas. The Red Bull driver clocked a two-minute, fifteen-second lap time, impressing the NASCAR Ford pilot.

"You knocked it out of the park, dude," Noah Gragson told Liam Lawson. [1:19]

When asked about debuting in NASCAR, the 23-year-old New Zealander said:

"Dude, I would love to race in America."

"Yeah, it's 100 percent," Liam Lawson said in response to Gragson asking whether he would run in NASCAR.

For reference, William Byron posted a lap time of 2:09.636 around COTA to secure the pole position in 2024. The most recent track layout was shortened, thus it won't be a fair comparison to Liam Lawson's sim lap time.

While Lawson had an impressive sim session at the Ford Performance Technical Center, the Kiwi F1 driver, who replaced Sergio Perez, is off to a rough start for RBR. He settled with a DNF at the Australian Grand Prix following a Q1 exit.

The Red Bull driver also struggled in the Chinese Grand Prix sprint qualifying to start P20 in the sprint race, with teammate Max Verstappen locking the front row behind pole-sitter Lewis Hamilton.

Ford's technical alliance with RBR will officially commence in the 2026 season amid the sport's new engine regulation. The partnership will mark Ford's return to F1 alongside fellow American brand Cadillac entering as the 11th team.

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Red Bull is back in NASCAR with Shane van Gisbergen, Connor Zilisch

Earlier this year, Red Bull announced its return to NASCAR as a primary sponsor for Trackhouse Racing drivers Shane van Gisbergen and Connor Zilisch. The energy drinks company agreed to sponsor SVG in five races (Las Vegas, Sonoma, Iowa, Daytona, and Kansas) and Zilisch in his debut race (COTA).

Speaking about the brand's return to stock car racing, Trackhouse Racing owner Justin Marks said:

"It’s an incredible chapter in the history of Trackhouse Racing to welcome Red Bull back to NASCAR."

He added:

"Red Bull is one of the most powerful brands in the world, and it’s an honor for us to embark on a partnership with such an iconic company."

Connor Zilisch driving the No. 87 Red Bull Chevrolet at COTA - Source: Imagn

Red Bull left NASCAR as a race team in 2011 after a six-year run with drivers like AJ Allmendinger and Bill Elliott. The team won two races with Brian Vickers in Michigan in 2009 and Kasey Kahne in Phoenix in 2011.