From the opening race in Bahrain, Liam Lawson was mentioned as a potential replacement for Daniel Ricciardo. Not much later, Sergio Pérez also had to fear for his spot. The young New Zealander has now officially taken over Ricciardo’s seat. Lawson reflects on a long period within the Red Bull ranks, which also led to some hilarious moments.
Before Liam Lawson was allowed to take his place in his own VCARB 01 during the US Grand Prix, he was often found in the Visa RB garage. The former reserve driver often traveled to various Grands Prix, not only to learn from his colleagues but also to help out where needed. Last year, he stepped in for Ricciardo five times when the Australian was dealing with a broken wrist.
‘Had to restrain myself from laughing’
In the The Red Flags podcast, Lawson shared how he was often linked to the seats of Ricciardo and Pérez over the past year – and how this led to comical moments in the pit lane. “Every time Ricciardo or Pérez made a mistake, I was filmed,” he laughed. “I was always very calm in the garage, but as soon as one of them flew off the track or made a spin, I saw a cameraman sprinting towards me from the pit lane.”
“They did everything they could to get that one shot, time and time again,” Lawson continued. “I really had to restrain myself from laughing. Not because someone made a mistake on the track, but because I knew what the director was trying to do. I understood it too – the cameraman didn’t want to lose his job – but I always found the whole situation hilarious.” Lawson is now preparing for his third race of the year and a ‘heavy’ weekend in São Paulo.
“It’s a sprint weekend, so we’ll be racing a lot,” he wrote in an official press release. “It’s also the end of the triple header, so it’s definitely going to be a heavy weekend. Brazil is a circuit with a lot of history and I’ve always wanted to race there, so I’m looking forward to doing that for the first time.
