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Viral Internet Meme Is Reason Why Liam Lawson Doesn’t ‘Drink More Than Once a Year’

Anirban Aly Mandal
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30 Liam Lawson (AUS, Oracle Red Bull Racing), F1 Pre-season Testing at Bahrain International Circuit on February 28, 2025 in Sakhir, Bahrain

The lows for a racing driver can really hurt. Different drivers have different ways to cope with it, and 2025 Red Bull driver Liam Lawson took an epic night out to get over his 2021 DTM title loss.

However, he perhaps drank too much that night. Lawson’s friend, who had taken him out for the night, even tried to get some food into his system.

It only resulted in the Kiwi racing ace throwing up the burger he had eaten and missing his flight back to the UK. Since he had such a horrible night and a hangover the next day, he decided to drink just once a year.

“I drink once a year, and that’s New Year’s Eve,” he began in an interview with BuzzFeed UK. While the hangover was bad enough, what haunted him all the more was his picture that went viral thereafter.

“That photo is also another reason why I still don’t drink any more than once a year,” he added. Lawson revealed that it was one of the worst hangovers he had ever endured.

How Lawson’s pledge might not allow him to hang out with Max Verstappen

Lawson’s pledge to not drink more than once a year might actually hinder his relationship with teammate Max Verstappen off the track. The four-time world champion is famous for arranging the wildest parties.

In fact, former Red Bull technician Calum Nicholas certified Verstappen as a ‘party animal’. “Max [Verstappen] certainly knows how to have fun,” he said on the Red Flags podcast, recounting some of the wildest nights, including one at the US GP a couple of years ago and the Dutchman’s maiden race win at the 2016 Spanish GP.

Naturally, Lawson might not be able to match up to Verstappen. That said, the 23-year-old’s focus would much rather be on matching the Dutchman on track. Red Bull team advisor Helmut Marko has downplayed the expectations on the Kiwi driver but will not tolerate another slip-up in the Constructors’ championship.

“He should be within three-tenths of Max in both in qualifying and in the race. That should be enough to get points for the Constructors’ Championship,” the Austrian had told RTL whilst outlining Lawson’s objectives for his first full-time F1 season.

About the author

Anirban Aly Mandal

Anirban Aly Mandal

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Anirban Aly Mandal is an F1 writer at The SportsRush, with over 1000 articles under his belt, Anirban's love for F1 started when he discovered a copy of F1 2014 on his computer. With over half a decade's worth of time spent religiously following the sport, he’s dived deep into the world of motorsports. However, Anirban's expertise goes beyond just writing - he has also written several academic papers focused on the domain of motorsports and the law. His passion for the sport is so immense that he aspires to work as a legal advisor in the most prestigious racing series in the world someday. When it comes to Formula 1, Anirban finds great pleasure in re-watching classic races and idolizes the likes of Ayrton Senna, Nigel Mansell, and Sebastian Vettel. His top picks include Brazil '91, Silverstone '92, and Germany '19. Outside of the sport, Anirban is an avid sim racer, often found racing on titles like Assetto Corsa, F1 22, and Automobilista. Apart from his interests in gaming, Anirban has a keen interest in philosophy, literature and music.

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