By Sergio Silva
Dec 21, 2024, 06:59 AM EST
The departure of Sergio “Checo” Pérez from Red Bull It was not taken in the best way by the fans of the Mexican driver who did not take long to attack Liam Lawson on social networks, the one chosen by the Austrian team to take the place left by the man from Guadalajara.
The New Zealand driver himself confirmed that he has received attacks in recent days in this way after the decision made by the energy drink team to put an end to its relationship with the Guadalajara team, which has a large legion of fans, became known. .
“I originally saw too much (abuse), but I didn’t expect it, I wasn’t ready for it.”Lawson commented in an interview with The Times in which he spoke about his appointment as Max Verstappen’s partner for the next Formula 1 season.
“To be honest, I don’t use social media much anymore.”commented the 22-year-old New Zealand driver who will have the difficult mission of joining Red Bull in his third experience in the highest category of world motorsport, so he must prepare to be under scrutiny at all times.
“I will post for my fans, but I will no longer read the comments”added Liam Lawson, who had just taken the place of Australian Daniel Ricciardo in the Visa Cash App RB team (also owned by the Red Bull company) during the second part of last F1 season.
The New Zealander reiterated that he is not used to this type of interactions and that he remains focused on driving beyond the attacks he may receive from fans, in this case from the Mexican driver who left Red Bull after four seasons in the team.
“It prepares you to be ready as a Formula 1 driver, so you don’t really expect this kind of thing (social media attacks). You don’t really prepare yourself for that, because you’re focused on driving.”commented Lawson, who will have to get used to the pressure starting in 2025.
What did the fans say?
In the publication that the Red Bull team uploaded and that Liam Lawson also replied to on Instagram about his arrival at the Austrian team, there were numerous messages that the New Zealand driver received criticizing his appointment with the energy drink team.
“Is that why they fired ‘Checo’? What a pity”one fan wrote in Spanish, while another went directly against Red Bull: “Thank you for helping me easily change teams.”
After the announcement of the departure of Sergio “Checo” Pérez from Red Bull on the Austrian team’s social networks, a notable drop in the number of followers was also evident, demonstrating the following that the Mexican driver has.
Keep reading:
– Stampede on social networks: Red Bull loses hundreds of thousands of followers after the departure of Sergio “Checo” Pérez
– Christian Horner, director of Red Bull, revealed why they chose Liam Lawson as a replacement for Sergio “Checo” Pérez
– The goodbye of Sergio “Checo” Pérez from the Red Bull team means his retirement from Formula 1, according to his father