Kiwi Formula 1 driver Liam Lawson has opened up about the level of online abuse he received following his entrance to the sport and the "crazy" justification for his Red Bull exit.
Lawson, who drives for Racing Bulls, appeared on the High Performance podcast, where he openly discussed his early career and experiences in Formula 1.
Lawson was sensationally dropped as a Red Bull driver after just two races last year and demoted back to the Racing Bulls team.
The Kiwi told the podcast he had been "very unprepared" for his promotion to Red Bull, with only half a day of testing before his first race for the new team.
He said his demotion was "devastating" but he resolved to look on the bright side given he was still a Formula 1 driver and had the chance to develop his career.
“All this stuff was happening, and there was nothing I could do about it once it had happened. I was obviously frustrated, devastated at the time, but there was nothing I could do about it any more.”
Lawson was particularly annoyed at the "crazy" justification for dropping him.
"The whole thing was played out to be me being mentally struggling and all this stuff, and like they were doing it to protect me. And that could honestly just not be further from what it was actually like."
He said there was “so much” narrative building in Formula 1, and “you start to just ignore it” after a while.
He said the hardest time during that period was the Chinese Grand Prix, where Lawson failed to score points across the weekend. However, he still did not expect to be dropped from the team.
“I already heard a couple of rumours around that weekend – there started to be a rumour about, OK, you know, Japanese Grand Prix is coming up, Yuki [Tsunoda] is Japanese.
“That’s insane that they’re even like saying that, classic F1 rumours, and I went back, and I just couldn’t believe it."
'The worst possible thing you could ever write'
Lawson said he had stopped engaging with social media, which had made a “big difference” in his life.
“Every single Formula 1 account is muted so I don’t see anything to do with it online.”
Lawson detailed the abuse he received following the Mexico City Grand Prix in 2024, where he came into contact with Red Bull’s Sergio Perez as they battled for position. Lawson made an offensive gesture towards the Mexican driver as he overtook him.
He said his phone was overwhelmed following the race with notifications and messages, some of them “the worst possible thing you could ever write.”
“I’ve never seen anything like it, the messages, comments on posts, the craziest stuff you could imagine people saying.
“This is just not healthy to be reading and looking at.”
He said abuse had become “so much more normal” both in and out of the sport, and “you can’t escape it”.
Lawson said drivers were normal people who “genuinely love the support” but wanted fans to back their favourites, not go after their rivals.
“You don’t have to criticise other people.”
'I'm now more grateful'
The Kiwi said his career experiences had built his resilience, and left him in a “much better position” than when he arrived.
“Especially in today’s Formula 1, with how much outside noise there is, really that’s so much more an important part now.
“To be a good driver, to be basically good in Formula 1 right now, you have to be able to drive the car fast, you know, but everybody can, and it’s all really that over stuff that you have to be, I think, resilient to.
“And I think that’s something that I’m now more grateful for.”
Lawson currently sits 10th in the World Drivers Championship standings on 28 points. He has finished in the top 10 in his last three races.
He'll hit the track in Austria this weekend – where he has found a lot of success.
SHARE ME