Liam Lawson reveals impact of parents’ sacrifice on road to F1

Red Bull F1 driver Liam Lawson says his parents still don’t own a home after selling their house to help pay for his racing career.

Lawson is about to contest his first full season as an F1 driver alongside Max Verstappen at Red Bull, having been promoted from sister team Racing Bulls after just 11 grands prix starts over a two-year period.

The 22-year-old New Zealand’s road to F1 has been long and far from straightforward, requiring a big move from his native home to Europe in order to progress up the racing ladder.

Lawson’s first racing foray in Europe was in the German F4 championship aged 16, but it required a huge sacrifice from his parents, who sold their house to they could better fund their son’s career.

“I think I complained to my dad for more than a year about my kart,” he told GQ Magazine. “I’d tell him that the engine sucked, but he just secretly thought that I sucked.

“Eventually, he got sick of me whining and bought two good engines, and we put them on for the first time at this big race. And when we went out, we qualified first.

“We started racing at the front all the time. That was the definitive moment, when karting became serious. It was always serious to me. But for my dad, everything changed that one weekend.

“They still don’t own a house. Because of me.”

Lawson reveals Ricciardo advice 

Lawson was drafted in to replace veteran Daniel Ricciardo at Red Bull’s sister team during the back-end of the 2024 season, marking his second stint with the Faenza squad.

The Kiwi’s performances at Racing Bulls would ultimately lead to him being promoted to the senior team, where he took the seat once held by Sergio Perez.

Lawson has revealed the support he received from Ricciardo, despite the Australian being aware he was about to lose his F1 seat.

“I actually spoke to Daniel a lot when it was happening,” he explained. “I will always have so much respect for him.

“Throughout the whole ordeal, from when the rumours started to when they were confirmed, he never said a bad word about or towards me.

“He never made it about me and him, because at the end of the day, it wasn’t our decision. It’s up to the team, and what they decide to do. He was so good to me, through all of it.

“Fast forward to December, when I got the Red Bull seat, and Daniel is still the only driver, past or present, to send me a message about it, congratulating me. It says a lot about him as a person.”