Liam Lawson is not particularly privy to football and the NFL which is natural for an athlete hailing from New Zealand. However, the Red Bull driver has developed an interest in the sport and even attended the divisional round game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Los Angeles Rams.
Sadly, the team he started rooting for — the Rams — lost. The Eagles ended up beating them 28-22 in the game Lawson witnessed.
The Kiwi driver was not actively keeping tabs on the NFL thereafter. However, ahead of Super Bowl LIX, he declared allegiance to Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.
Why? Simply because the Eagles — who were going to face the Chiefs in the Super Bowl — defeated the Rams.
When the host of the Fan Behaviour: An F1 podcast asked Lawson to predict who was going to win the 2025 Super Bowl, the Red Bull driver answered:
“I was going to say, I think Chiefs, just because I went to a Rams game where unfortunately they lost to the Eagles, so therefore, that puts me as not an Eagles fan.”
However, there was more than one reason why Lawson backed the Chiefs.
Having won the Super Bowl three times in the past six seasons, the Kansas City-based team has garnered significant attention, not just in the U.S., but globally as well.
Players like Mahomes and Travis Kelce have become major figures in both sports and entertainment, expanding their fanbase even further.
Legacy on our mind. pic.twitter.com/dfcZJzc1Jm
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) February 4, 2025
Interestingly, Lawson’s girlfriend’s brother is also an avid supporter. “My girlfriend’s brother loves the Chiefs. I think I’m a Chiefs fan more than an Eagles fan,” he said.
The Chiefs were on the verge of making NFL history by becoming the first team to ever three-peat in the Superbowl. Unfortunately, in what turned out to be a one-sided game, the Eagles defeated Mahomes and Co. 40-22.
Not the result Lawson or his girlfriend’s brother would have liked.
Lawson’s liking toward the NFL could grow
The host also asked Lawson which driver he would take to the Super Bowl. He quickly named Daniel Ricciardo — an obvious and fitting choice for an NFL-related question.
Ricciardo is the biggest NFL fanatic among modern F1 drivers. Since he started following the sport in 2019-20, his passion for it has grown exponentially.
The Aussie supports the Buffalo Bills, and their quarterback, Josh Allen, has become a close friend of Ricciardo. The eight-time Grand Prix winner has even attended Bills’ practice sessions and several games.
His knowledge of the sport and the league is likely unmatched in the F1 paddock, making him the ideal Super Bowl companion. While the 23-year-old Lawson initially considered passing on the question, he ultimately admitted that Ricciardo is the perfect company for an NFL game.
