Daniil Kvyat clear why it’s ‘really good’ for Liam Lawson that Sergio Perez ‘really struggled’ at Red Bull

Liam Lawson will make his debut for Red Bull at the 2025 Australian Grand Prix after moving up from Racing Bulls to replace Sergio Perez as Max Verstappen’s teammate.

The Kiwi now owns one of the most coveted but also most challenging seats on the 2025 F1 grid beside the four-time reigning champion. Lawson has joined Verstappen, at what is very much his team, after just 11 Grands Prix starts after Red Bull elected to move on from Perez.

Red Bull released Perez from his contract after costing the Milton Keynes crew their defence of the F1 constructors’ championship last season. The Mexican managed to score just 34.7% of the 437 points Verstappen posted for the drivers’ title as Perez finished the year in eighth.

Daniil Kvyat thinks Liam Lawson has ‘nothing to lose’ at Red Bull after Sergio Perez’s woes

Lawson was first in line for Perez’s seat and will make his debut for Red Bull at the Australian Grand Prix on March 16. It will even only be his 12th race as a Formula 1 driver after earning five cameo appearances with AlphaTauri in 2023 plus six with RB (now Racing Bulls) in 2024.

Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko is clear that Lawson is Verstappen’s No2, as well, as the Dutchman looks to become only the second driver ever after Michael Schumacher to win five drivers’ titles in a row. But pre-season indicated McLaren have the best car in 2025.

READ MORE: Who is Red Bull Racing F1 driver Liam Lawson? Everything you need to know

Yet, while Lawson is expected to help Verstappen’s championship challenge, former Red Bull driver Daniil Kvyat is clear that Perez’s plight last term is ‘actually really good’ for the Kiwi as the 23-year-old can work his way into the year before putting the Dutchman under pressure.

“It’s actually really good,” Kvyat told RacingNews365. “There’s nothing to lose. He can just go there with a completely free mindset and even if he’s two or three tenths off, it’s good because Perez really struggled.

“So, he actually has to just go there and chip a little bit of lap time away, and then maybe Max will start feeling pressure. You don’t know, it can always play in [Lawson’s] favour. It’s always good to have a fresh mindset sometimes.”

Liam Lawson cannot afford to match Sergio Perez 0.377s off Max Verstappen’s qualifying pace

Verstappen dominated Perez in every measurable way during the 2024 Formula 1 season as the 27-year-old won their head-to-heads for points, Grand Prix results, wins, pole positions, podiums, in qualifying, fewer retirements and points finishes, plus for every Sprint category.

Not only did he dominate the F1 2024 teammate head-to-heads in the Red Bull garage, but Verstappen was 0.377 seconds a lap faster than Perez in qualifying on average all year. Now, Lawson will try to avoid being as far off the Dutchman’s laps to secure his future at Red Bull.

Red Bull only gave Lawson a one-year, £800,000 contract to replace Perez. His best result in F1 to date is P9, which the Hastings native earned once in 2023 and twice in 2024. So, he is still to prove that Lawson can match Verstappen and may require the time that Kvyat notes.

Kvyat, however, knows better than most – including Perez – that once Red Bull think you are not the answer that you’re time with the team is over. They axed the Russian for Verstappen after an error-strewn double-header early in 2016 in China where he finished P3 and Russia.