Liam Lawson opens up on 'psychological' strength in social media hate battle

Liam Lawson has opened up about dealing with social media hate during the early stages of his Formula 1 career, revealing that his biggest strength throughout the period has been his "psychological" resilience.

The New Zealander's start to life in F1 has been a dramatic one, having made appearances in 2023 and 2024 as Daniel Ricciardo's replacement.

He then earned a full-time seat at Red Bull for 2025 before being demoted to Racing Bulls after just two races. Since then, he has established himself as a solid performer, regularly reaching Q3 and scoring points.

It was a hugely challenging start to F1 for Lawson, who received horrific online abuse following an incident with Sergio Perez at the 2024 Mexico City Grand Prix.

Thousands of messages were sent Lawson's way by fans of the current Cadillac driver, prompting him to delete his social media apps. He later re-downloaded them in 2025, but only to keep up with what his friends were doing.

Dealing with social media abuse is something no driver or athlete should have to endure, but it is an experience Lawson believes has made him stronger.

Asked what his biggest strength has been in dealing with social media hate, Lawson told the High Performance podcast: "It's definitely the psychological stuff. I think building resilience to that has been the biggest thing for me.

"Like, I cared when I came in. I probably cared more, as much as we all say we don't. It was new. Like I said, I had my phone blow up, and I was like, 'Wow, this is crazy. I didn't expect this.'

"And through all those experiences over the last 12 months, I think now I'm just in a much better position where I honestly don't care. I think that's something I also try to look back on, because it's so easy to think that stuff is unfair."

Lawson's growth

F1 and motorsport in general are hotspots for online abuse, something that underwent a significant rise during Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen's 2021 title battle.

So much can go for or against a driver, which can lead to either a strong result or an incident. Overall, Lawson believes he is a better driver for having gone through those experiences.

"You always think, especially in motorsport, there are so many variables," added Lawson. "You look at other sports like golf, tennis and even motocross.

"I love dirt bikes at the moment, and I watch it and just think it's down to the rider or the player. There are differences in the bikes, little differences, but ultimately it's down to the rider or the player.

"Whereas for us, there are so many variables that it's so easy to think you're unlucky when things like this happen or that you have bad luck.

"But looking back on everything that has happened, I think I'm so much better for it. I'm in a much better place, and I'm a much better driver and a more well-rounded person because of it, honestly."