Verstappen 'Really, Really Good Guy' Contrary To Popular Opinion Says Lawson

Sunday, 31 March 2024 at 10:30

RB's reserve driver, Liam Lawson, highlighted Max Verstappen as one of the nicest people most open to giving advice during his debut in 2023.

Liam Lawson, who is currently without a seat in F1, got an opportunity out of nowhere to sit in an F1 car after AlphaTauri (now RB) replaced Nyck de Vries with Daniel Ricciardo, who suffered an injury just two race weekends later.

The 22-year-old had two practice sessions to get familiar with the car ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort Circuit - which turned out to be one of the most difficult races of the season.

Lawson remembered how he engaged with other F1 drivers ahead of the race and highlighted the triple World Champion Max Verstappen, who stood out as a "really nice guy." He told Fox Sports Australia:

"He's actually a really nice guy out of the car. I think he can come across quite aggressive on TV, but he's just ultra competitive and he's a really, really good guy."

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Verstappen was famous for his aggressive driving style, mainly in the early stages of his career until 2021. Now, many assume that also translates into his off-track personality.

However, the RB reserve driver showed a different side of the 26-year-old when he said he was, in fact, one of the few guys who was really open to talking to him and giving advice.

"When I drove last year, he was one of the few guys that were really open to talk and give advice. He came in and said, 'Make sure you enjoy it; try and remember to enjoy it.' He was really good and open to giving advice."

Funny enough, as a small thank you, Lawson outqualified the Dutchman and knocked him out of Q2 during the 2023 Singapore Grand Prix. The Kiwi driver added:

"So it's cool to be able to have that, but also to be able to learn from him. Obviously, his driving is very, very good right now. To see all that data and learn from it is pretty cool."