Lawson’s Call: Red Bull Seat and Dad’s Reaction

Liam Lawson reflects on Red Bull’s decision, sharing the exciting announcement and the humorous way he revealed it to his father.

Liam Lawson confirmed that Red Bull Racing’s decision to sign him alongside Max Verstappen was not made in recent hours, despite team leaders creating artificial suspense to suggest serious deliberation over the choice.

The New Zealander is set to compete in his first full F1 season in 2025. He recounted how Red Bull team principal Christian Horner delivered the good news during a call, after informing him shortly after Abu Dhabi that the meeting regarding his future had gone well.

“I knew it had been in the works for some time,” Lawson said. “Obviously, nothing was set in stone or officially decided. Everything is always performance-based, as it should be.”

“They had a meeting, and Christian Horner kindly sent me a message to say the meeting went well. Then he called me and said, ‘Welcome to Red Bull Racing.’ Hearing that over the phone was very exciting.”

The first person the driver informed was his father: “I called my dad because, naturally, he has been a huge influence on me growing up. My dad was very emotional—I’d never seen him like that before, which was pretty cool.”

“He has been with me from day one, literally. He played a big part in shaping the mentality I had growing up, entering motorsport, and becoming a racing driver.”

“He was a major influence in my childhood—not because he raced, but because he made me believe I could achieve anything if I believed in it enough and worked hard. That’s a mindset I’ve carried with me throughout my life.”

He shared how he tricked his father into thinking he would be testing with Racing Bulls in January before revealing it would actually be with Red Bull: “I called him on FaceTime and said, ‘Dad, I’m planning my January schedule.’

‘We usually have a test with Racing Bulls at Imola, just like last year, and it was expected this year as well.’ I told him, ‘I’m not going to be testing at Imola for now. I’ll be testing at Silverstone,’ just to see his reaction.”

“He said, ‘What are you talking about?’ So I told him I’d gotten the seat. It was really funny because he didn’t react for probably two minutes. I could see he couldn’t believe it, and honestly, I felt the same.”

“Then he started reacting and getting emotional. It was really cool. He went to get my mom, who was in another room, and told the family. Everyone has given so much for me, especially when I was younger. A lot. My siblings and parents all made sacrifices to help me do this.”

The driver, who has made 11 F1 starts, admits he aims to become world champion eventually but acknowledges his first priority is contributing to Red Bull’s pursuit of another Constructors’ Championship alongside Verstappen.

“Obviously, as Formula 1 drivers, we all share the same goal of winning the World Championship. That’s my goal. It has been my goal since I was a child dreaming of becoming an F1 driver, and now I’m in a great position.”

“But it’s certainly not what I expect to achieve immediately. I don’t expect to come in and win a World Championship right away. I know the team’s primary objective is to secure the Constructors’ Championship, and that’s what I’m here to help achieve.”

“Personally, though, my focus is on getting competitive as quickly as possible. And of course, I have the best teammate to learn from.”

Lawson concludes by praising Verstappen for supporting him throughout his years in the Red Bull academy. He also recalls the Dutchman’s valuable and reassuring advice during his debut race weekend at the 2023 Dutch Grand Prix.

“Even when I was in Super Formula and other categories, I think Max is someone who loves motorsport and watches a lot of it. He’s always been kind and supportive, especially when I joined last year as a reserve driver.”

“When I felt a lot of pressure at Zandvoort, it was great to talk to him. So yes, it’s cool to race against him and have him as a teammate. There’s no one better to learn from. For me, it’s about coming in and trying to get competitive as quickly as possible.”