Liam Lawson reveals ‘very real’ Verstappen support during difficult Red Bull spell

Liam Lawson has opened up on his brief spell alongside Max Verstappen at Red Bull, describing the four-time Formula 1 champion as “very real” and “very supportive” during one of the most difficult periods of his career.

A brutal Red Bull benchmark

The warning signs came immediately. Lawson qualified 18th for the season opener in Australia before crashing out of the race, a start that instantly placed his Red Bull future under scrutiny. A 12th-place finish in Shanghai then deepened the pressure, with his deficit to Verstappen widely cited as a key factor in Red Bull’s decision to drop him after just two races.

Lawson praises Verstappen’s character

Speaking on the High Performance podcast, Lawson made clear that Verstappen’s status inside Red Bull did not translate into distance or indifference.

“In general, Max was just always very real, like he’s somebody that at such a high-level, accomplished position that he’s in, it’d be very easy for him to not be like that,” Lawson said.

“And it’s not just with me; he seems to be like that with everybody. And I think Max is somebody who just wants to race cars and loves to talk about cars, loves to talk about racing.”

That picture contrasts sharply with the ruthless competitive standard Verstappen represents on track. In Formula 1, the first opponent is always the driver across the garage, and Red Bull has rarely been a soft landing for any teammate facing Verstappen’s pace.

‘Very supportive’ behind the scenes

Lawson also recalled Verstappen making an effort to engage with him even before they became teammates, asking about his Formula 2 racing and how the car felt when Lawson was a reserve driver.

“When I went to Red Bull through all of it, he was very supportive. I won’t go too much into detail about it, but he was very supportive, very, very supportive,” Lawson said.

“I spoke to a lot of people during that time, but I spoke to him about it, basically, and he was, he was very supportive.”

The message is significant: Verstappen may remain the ultimate measuring stick inside Red Bull, but Lawson’s account suggests the driver behind the visor was not detached from the struggle unfolding on the other side of the garage.