Recently, Liam Lawson opened up about his relationship with Max Verstappen and his rapid debut in Formula 1. Despite his five substitute appearances in 2023, the New Zealander is still awaiting another opportunity in the premier class. Rumor has it that Lawson will join Visa RB next year, but these are still just whispers. His collaboration with Yuki Tsunoda, however, promises to be fruitful.
Lawson was a guest on Red Bull’s Talking Bull podcast on Tuesday. The 22-year-old driver from Hastings continues to enjoy immense popularity, even though he only moonlights as a reserve driver for the Austrians and their secondary team, Visa RB. Lawson admitted that he looks up to Max Verstappen and his broad interest in motorsports.
Max Verstappen’s Passion for Racing
“Max Verstappen is someone who generally loves racing,” Lawson shared. “He also looks beyond Formula 1 to motorsport and follows many different classes. When I was racing in Japan for a while, I would sometimes fly back and forth to Formula 1. He told me that he had followed all my races one by one – I thought that was very cool.” Even when Lawson was called up last year to substitute for Daniel Ricciardo, Verstappen was not far away. “He came up to me shortly before my first race and gave me advice,” the New Zealander recalled. “That was really great.”
Yuki Tsunoda
Lawson also maintains a good relationship with Yuki Tsunoda. He revealed that they lived in the same building in Milton Keynes for a while. Both drivers were then fighting for a place in Formula 1. “Eventually, Tsunoda had to move to Italy because he had signed a contract with AlphaTauri (now Visa RB),” Lawson explained. “Then I felt quite lonely for a while.”
Lawson shared that he and Tsunoda have been through a lot together. “We hung out a lot and did many cool things,” he said. “I don’t know if that was always good for us, but we certainly made beautiful memories,” he concluded with a laugh.
