Liam Lawson, the new 2025 Red Bull driver, has reduced his social media usage due to abuse from some Formula 1 fans of Sergio Perez and Daniel Ricciardo.
The 22-year-old has been with Red Bull since 2019, making his way through the junior categories, and he finished in third place in his final year in Formula 2.
Lawson was on the sidelines without a full-time drive in 2023 before he replaced Ricciardo at the Dutch Grand Prix in the Alpha Tauri after the Australian injured his hand.
On his debut, he finished 13th before taking his first points in F1 at the Singapore Grand Prix – but it was not enough to secure a seat for 2024 with Ricciardo holding onto the drive at the sister Red Bull team.
However, after RB axed the eight-time Grand Prix winner in Singapore, Lawson stepped into the car for six races eager to make an impression.
Lawson did just that as the Red Bull hierarchy rewarded him with a seat alongside the reigning F1 World Champion Max Verstappen for 2025.
Unfortunately, Lawson has had to endure abuse on social media from a minority of F1 fans who support Ricciardo and the man he replaced at Red Bull, Perez.
The New Zealand driver has recently given his thoughts on the abuse he has suffered, explaining how he has had to cut down on how often he uses social media.
“Originally I saw a lot of [the abuse] because I didn’t expect it, I wasn’t ready for that,” Lawson said in an interview with The Times.
“To be honest, I just don’t really go on social media at all anymore – I will post for my fanbase, but I won’t scroll or look through messages.
“You do the prep for F1 to be ready as a driver, and then you don’t really expect that kind of stuff, or you don’t really prepare for it, because you’re just focused on driving.”
Lawson: Alonso and Perez’s rows were ‘nothing personal’
Before Lawson replaced the Mexican driver at the end of the season, the pair locked horns at the Mexican Grand Prix after the RB driver collided with the home favourite.
Lawson proceeded to show Perez the middle finger whilst overtaking him before apologising after the race.
The war of words continued afterwards with Perez wanting Red Bull to have a stern word with the Kiwi driver.
It wasn’t the only spat of Lawson’s late-season audition as he also tangled with Fernando Alonso in the United States, but Lawson went on to explain that it wasn’t a personal attack on the duo.
“There’s nothing personal with anybody, but I [had] six races to show something,” he said.
“I’m not trying to be overly aggressive to prove anything, but I’m also not going to race any differently because somebody’s experienced or somebody’s respected in the sport.”
With the 2024 season over, Lawson’s focus turns to the challenge of being Verstappen’s team-mate next season – a fate that Alex Albon, Pierre Gasly and Perez know all too well.
Albon and Gasly did not last long but Perez managed to survive four seasons – but they all had one thing in common which was they struggled to cope with the driving characteristics of the car matched with their own personal driving styles.
Lawson, however, is not convinced by the driving style theory at Red Bull.
“In terms of driving styles, I don’t really know if I believe in it so much in terms of a driving style,” Lawson told PlanetF1.
“I think you have certain things you like a car to do but I think also, for me, I spent a lot of time developing that car as well, as a junior and as a reserve for the last couple of years, and I feel like I understand quite well the way the car drives.
“But I also don’t fully believe in ‘This doesn’t suit your driving style’.
“I think as drivers, we’re professionals, we have to adapt to whatever we’re driving.”
Red Bull junior driver Isack Hadjar will step up from F2 into the newly named Racing Bulls team for 2025 alongside Yuki Tsunoda.
READ MORE: Liam Lawson ‘mustn’t try to compete’ with Max Verstappen at Red Bull
