Liam Lawson reveals what he told his dad in an emotional phone call after signing for Red Bull

Liam Lawson is joining Red Bull next season as he replaces the underperforming Sergio Perez at the Austrian team.

The New Zealander is moving to Red Bull after just 11 races in Formula 1 before being promoted to the main team alongside four-time world champion Max Verstappen.

Red Bull’s fans have mixed opinions about Lawson’s chances alongside Verstappen, as the Dutchman was much quicker than Perez this year.

Red Bull needed to make a change as the Mexican struggled behind the wheel, and Perez made continuous errors over the season.

He was a big part of the team’s failure to defend the Constructors’ Championship, which saw them drop to third place behind McLaren and Ferrari.

Lawson is stepping up to Red Bull after just a few races at RB, and there will be significantly more pressure on him there next year.

The Kiwi revealed what he told his dad in a phone call after it was announced that he would replace Perez in 2025.

Liam Lawson told his dad he would be ‘testing at Silverstone’ rather than Imola next year

The RB team tend to kick off their preparations for the new Formula 1 season with a shakedown at Imola to understand how their new car performs.

Lawson was planning to drive in this test if he was part of the Italian team, but an outing at Silverstone is now on the horizon at Red Bull.

The Kiwi revealed how he broke the news to his dad over the phone, which became an emotional call for both of them.

READ MORE: RB CEO Peter Bayer names the ‘unique capability’ Liam Lawson has that makes him stand out

He told the Red Bull YouTube channel: “So I FaceTimed him, and I said to him, ‘Oh, dad, I’m just looking at planning my January calendar at the moment. So we’re going to head back to Europe around mid-January towards the end of January.

“Normally, we have a test with VCARB in Imola, and that was the same last year, and that was planned this year as well. I said to him, ‘I’m actually not going to be testing in Imola right now.

“I’m going to be testing in Silverstone now.’ Just to see his reaction, he was like, What are you saying? And so I said, I got the seat, basically. It was real funny because he sat on it for probably two minutes, and I could see he just couldn’t really believe it. It is the same for me. And then probably a delay of two minutes, he started reacting and got emotional about it.”

Lawson will be under immediate pressure to hit the ground running at Red Bull, as there is very little room for error at the sharp end of the field.

Red Bull’s new driver will have a difficult task of beating Verstappen, but Lawson has long impressed RB CEO Peter Bayer. This allowed the Kiwi to establish himself on the grid and gather experience.

Liam Lawson is quick but has very little experience

It is rare to see a driver with as little experience as Lawson get an opportunity to battle at the front. He has only raced in F1 11 times since making his debut at the Dutch Grand Prix last year.

The Red Bull driver will need to be consistent while adapting to tracks such as Albert Park, which he hasn’t raced on at all.

Verstappen has dominated his teammates since Daniel Ricciardo left the team in 2018, and Lawson may suffer a similar fate if he makes errors in the opening few rounds.

Racing alongside Verstappen will provide an opportunity to learn, but Lawson needs to be on the pace immediately at the Australian Grand Prix.