Gone are the days of Liam Lawson stepping in as Daniel Ricciardo’s substitute at a moment’s notice. This year, he will drive for Red Bull, partnering up with Max Verstappen in the hopes of securing the Constructors’ title for Red Bull.
But before the real action begins in two weeks at Albert Park in Melbourne, Lawson—making his first-ever appearance for pre-season media duties—was tasked with building his dream F1 team from scratch.
It was part of a collaboration with popular F1 content creator Tommo F1 and Lawson had to choose everything—from the team’s location to its drivers, liveries, colors, and even team principals.
As for that last choice, Lawson was told he couldn’t pick Christian Horner or anyone from the Red Bull/RB camp. This made the decision especially difficult for the Kiwi—until Guenther Steiner’s name was brought up.
Initially hesitant to make a call, Lawson, a true perfectionist, remarked, “It’s a big call.” But then Finn, another person in the room, suggested, “It’s gotta be Guenther Steiner,” prompting Lawson to seriously consider the former Haas team principal.
“He’s a fun guy — bring Guenther back,” he stated.
“I mean, I reckon that could work. Just don’t smash any doors,” he added, referencing the now-infamous Drive to Survive moment when the 59-year-old lost his cool after Kevin Magnussen slammed his office door following a heated conversation.
Explained – Don’t Fok Smash Guenther Steiner door pic.twitter.com/2QCzolZHwG
— ExplainFormula1 (@ExplainFormula1) March 17, 2021
It was the kind of interaction that defined Steiner’s stint as Haas boss. The team made no real progress in terms of performance, but Steiner became a hugely popular figure in the world of F1 for his antics.
Lawson, however, admired Steiner’s capabilities as a Team Principal, which was ironic given that the Italian-American had a rather different view of the New Zealander.
Not the best choice made by Lawson
When Lawson stepped in to replace Ricciardo at RB with six races remaining in 2024, the equation was clear—Red Bull would choose between him and Yuki Tsunoda to replace an underperforming Sergio Perez for 2025. In the end, they picked Lawson, even though there was little to separate the two.
Many in the F1 community, none more so than Steiner, publicly insisted that Tsunoda would have been the better option.
“I would have given Yuki the chance of one year and say, Liam, take one year at Racing Bulls, you know, to grow, to get better, to get used to it. And if Yuki is not outstanding, we put him in for Yuki afterward, you know,” he said.
So, if Lawson did have Steiner as Red Bull’s team principal, there’s a high chance he would still be at RB. Thankfully for him, that’s not the case.
The 23-year-old will now aim to silence his critics by outperforming his predecessor—a tough task given Verstappen’s dominance over the years. Additionally, with Red Bull’s car not living up to initial expectations, the challenge could become even greater.
