New to Red Bull Inner Circle, Liam Lawson Fumbles With Act of Treason Against Max Verstappen

Liam Lawson has caught the attention of Red Bull with his impressive debut at the Dutch Grand Prix. The 21-year-old stepped in at AlphaTauri for the recently injured Daniel Ricciardo on very short notice. Lawson finished the race at Zandvoort in 13th before finishing eleventh just a week after at Monza. Even though he has been mightily impressive, his one act of treason against Max Verstappen may not be taken too kindly.

The AlphaTauri reserve driver recently had a slip of the tongue when he picked Lewis Hamilton over Verstappen. Lawson made this mistake while recently shooting a promotional video with former Red Bull driver David Coulthard at the Nurburgring.

Liam Lawson realizes his mistake after naming Hamilton ahead of Verstappen

Despite being a Red Bull driver, the first name that came to Liam Lawson’s mind was that of Lewis Hamilton. As seen in the video below, the 21-year-old was asked to say what was his name.

Live your truth Liam https://t.co/b6wSP0ho2A

— Athena 🏳️‍🌈 (@tarmactorque) September 9, 2023

In reply, the New Zealander confidently said, “Lewis Hamilton“. When told he should have said Max Verstappen, Lawson accepted his mistake and replied, “I should have said Max Verstappen. I realized after I said that I should have said Max Verstappen“.

F1 fans found this interaction hilarious as some such as Eva went to the extent of stating that Lawson forgot which academy he is from.

bro forgot what academy he’s in😭🙏 pic.twitter.com/ysvHZnB0pI

— eva✯ (@30llawson) September 8, 2023

Meanwhile, some others such as Deni rejoiced the moment and said that “everybody is a Lewis Hamilton fan“.

Everybody is a Lewis Hamilton fan. 😆‼️pic.twitter.com/4bwooBVs6x

— deni (@fiagirly) September 9, 2023

While Lawson made a hilarious mistake by forgetting where his loyalties lie, it has not stopped him from receiving a boost in his quest for a full-time F1 seat. Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has recently opened up on the possibility of the team signing Lawson on a permanent basis.

Can Lawson secure a full-time seat in F1?

While speaking to ServusTV after the Italian GP, Helmut Marko gave his take on Liam Lawson’s outstanding first few races. The Austrian explained how impressed he has been with Lawson for the way the 21-year-old has picked his battles so far.

“He (Lawson) really is a man for the future,” said Marko (as quoted by planetf1.com). “He could have won points (at Monza) if his strategy had been good at AlphaTauri. We unfortunately have to note that. He certainly had the speed“.

Considering that Lawson has been so impressive on such short notice, the competition for the second seat at Red Bull is constantly rising. Yuki Tsunoda and Daniel Ricciardo have already made it clear that they are keen on making a case for themselves to get the second seat at the Milton Keynes outfit alongside Max Verstappen.

However, now, with Lawson having impressed as well, Red Bull could have a difficult choice to make in the future. While Red Bull have confirmed Sergio Perez’s seat for the 2024 season, they have made it clear that they are yet to make a decision for the 2025 campaign.