- Liam Lawson reveals heartwarming act from Daniel Ricciardo
- Kiwi driver will be making his full-time debut at Melbourne GP
Red Bull rookie Liam Lawson has revealed exactly why Aussie Daniel Ricciardo is one of the most loved drivers to ever grace Formula 1.
As the 2025 season prepares to roar to life this weekend at the Melbourne Grand Prix, all eyes are on the 23-year-old Kiwi as he makes his full-time debut with Red Bull.
Lawson raced with AlphaTauri in the Netherlands last season as the stand-in for an injured Ricciardo, and scored his first points in the following race in Singapore.
After a period as reserve driver, he took over Ricciardo’s role at the Racing Bulls team permanently before being elevated to a Red Bull seat alongside Max Verstappen.
Lawson says Ricciardo remains the only driver on the grid to congratulate him on his promotion.
‘I actually spoke to Daniel a lot when it was happening,’ Lawson told GQ.
Kiwi driver Liam Lawson says that Daniel Ricciardo is the only driver to congratulate him on his elevation to being Max Verstappen’s teammate
Lawson says that Ricciardo’s honourable behaviour ‘says a lot about him’
‘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.’
Lawson went on to explain what a dog-eat-dog world it is on the track.
‘It’s funny, because I’ve met a lot of guys that I looked up to as a kid, like Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso,’ Lawson says.
‘When you’re younger, they’re your heroes. Now, they’re my competitors. I mean, the first time I met Alonso, he yelled at me.’
‘Maybe he was having a bad day.’
Ricciardo has taken his foot off the gas since retiring from F1 racing
All eyes will be on Lawson as he tries to out-race his predecessor Sergio Pérez, who was axed by Red Bull after a string of poor results in 2024
Another young driver looking to prove himself this weekend in Melbourne is Australian rookie Jack Doohan.
He says he wishes Ricciardo was still racing so there could be three Aussies on the grid at Albert Park.
‘(Ricciardo and I) spoke quite a bit at the end of last year,’ Doohan told The West Australian.
‘I saw him when I was out in LA before heading to (Las) Vegas as well; we caught up briefly there. But since I haven’t had a lot of communication recently.
‘He has been doing his thing, enjoying his post-F1 life. Not having to deal with everything going on as it normally would be for him.
‘It is great to have another Aussie on the grid. It would have been amazing with DR (Ricciardo) still here (as well), but at least there are still two of us.
‘Oscar has been doing exceptional, especially last year, and the McLaren car was fast. Hopefully, we’re able to challenge him in the near future and it’s great to be on the grid with him.’
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