In 2025, Liam Lawson will make his debut on the grid as a Red Bull driver. However, this won’t be the first time the New Zealander has assisted teammate Max Verstappen in his quest for the world title. Lawson recounts how he once aided Verstappen in 2021.
Liam Lawson is set to become Max Verstappen’s new teammate in 2025. As the second Red Bull driver, the New Zealander will occasionally need to assist the Dutchman in his pursuit of his fifth world title. Fortunately for Lawson, he has had some practice. The Red Bull driver reveals how he once came to the aid of the four-time champion during the 2021 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Shoes
At that time, Lawson was working as a test and reserve driver for the Austrian racing team. “I was at the hotel for a while and returned to the circuit between sessions. My boss, Oli (Red Bull Junior Team manager Olivier Helvig), sent me a photo and said: ‘I just gave your shoes to Red Bull, Verstappen needs them because you’re the only one with the same shoe size’,” Lawson tells Marca.
“It’s a bit of a shame that I didn’t give him nice shoes,” the New Zealander jokes. “They were simple shoes and he used them for the rest of the weekend. My shoes reached Formula 1 before I did.” Unfortunately for Verstappen, Lawson’s shoes didn’t bring him much luck during the race. The Dutchman was on his way to victory when an unexpected tyre blowout threw a spanner in the works. Verstappen was then unable to finish his race.
